Evolution
by Kakarot.v5
Summary: After a series of intense encounters, Serah finds her feelings about Lightning changing. Initially unsure of what to make of them, she knows one thing - they'd cause a tectonic upheaval in their relationship. This is the story of how their paradigm shifted.
1. Conflicted

**Author's Note: This is my attempt at writing incestuous SerahxLightning. I'd appreciate any and all feedback you can offer since this is new territory I'm venturing into here.  
Disclaimer: Final Fantasy and all of its respective trademark property is owned by Square Enix. I don't own a thing.**

Serah Farron sat at the kitchen table. She was nursing a cup of Earl Grey tea. It was her favourite drink and she always enjoyed it. She often liked to brew a pot whenever she found herself having some free time during the day. Raising the cup to her lips and taking a small sip of the hot beverage, she exhaled a sigh before setting it back down. As the liquid made its way down her throat, she remembered just why she liked it so much. Of course she couldn't drink it all day every day though – her head would probably start bouncing off the walls for the amount of caffeine in her bloodstream. As the mental image of her jumping up and down like a crazed child pierced her mind, Serah's expression didn't lift. In fact, it made her just a little bit more melancholy. Ordinarily she would have chuckled at the thought before allowing the warm memory of bouncing on the sofa and her bed to fill her mind but she found herself being more burdened than usual. Her gaze was focused on the table in front of her but not looking at anything in particular. As she sat there drinking her tea, Serah tried to collect her thoughts. Unfortunately it was proving to be a much more troublesome endeavour than she'd anticipated. There was a time when she would have written in her diary or tried to catalogue her thoughts in an attempt to derive some kind of sense from them but that wasn't an option anymore. 'Mores the pity' she thought to herself solemnly. Oh, how she would have delighted in being able to turn to her most trusted confidant of childhood to help her during this time. But she couldn't risk it, for what was troubling her was something she daren't put into words. Her thoughts and feelings and emotions were like a jigsaw puzzle and every single piece was darting around inside her mind with the speed and ferocity of an angry hornet, frustrating her to no end. But as much as she wanted to, she didn't dare to put them into place for fear of what the completed picture would show her. To call it a conundrum would have been an understatement. So Serah simply sighed again before taking another sip of her tea.

Maybe if she tried to trace these feelings back to their source, it would help to relieve some of her mental discontent. Allowing her mind to wander, Serah thought back to the events that had surrounded these feelings. It had been over a year since she'd graduated from Eden University. It was strange how the strength of the memory made it seem like it had only been a little while ago in her conscious mind. Serah couldn't help but smirk at that thought. Memories were funny things. They could transport her back in time to any point in her life with anybody that she recalled. She remembered the celebration at completing all of her hard work to earn her teaching degree. She remembered how elated her felt at the sense of satisfaction, at having finished a task that she'd set her mind to years ago. Wearing her ceremonial robes and throwing her hat into the air, it had been one of the most joyous days of her life. The only thing that made it better was when Lightning and Snow came to her graduation ceremony. As she'd been up on stage receiving her honours, she looked into the crowd of attendees and seen the smiling faces of her sister and boyfriend. How it had raised her soul. When she'd come down and they'd both hugged her and congratulated her, Serah felt happy beyond description. It was the culmination of years of hard work that she could finally enjoy. For as long as she could remember, she'd dreamed of being a teacher. Being able to help forge the minds of the future and guide the young into maturity with grace and fortuity was something that she'd relished for as long as she could remember. Of course, she wasn't afraid to get tough if she had to. Kids needed a firm hand.

Shortly thereafter, she'd begun working as a teacher's assistant. For months now she'd been hard at work learning everything there was to know about the profession. Study was one thing but practical application was a world of its own, as she was learning day by day. Her instructor, a kindly lady by the name of Mrs. Sanders, had been courteous and helpful in a way that Serah couldn't begin to describe. Once she'd finished with her tenure, she planned to thank her properly for everything that she'd done for her.  
Sipping her tea once again, Serah's thoughts began to drift elsewhere. Her working life was something that she derived great pleasure and satisfaction from. It also wasn't what was causing her inner turmoil. But the timeframe helped to match so it was a good place to start. Shortly after she'd graduated, Serah had moved back from her student accommodations at the university. Not living away meant that she was able to spend much more time with her family. Much to her delight, she found that she enjoyed seeing Lightning on a much more regular basis, even though her sister was frequently busy with work in the Guardian Corps. Snow delighted in having her around more often as well. Serah had lost count of the number of times they'd just walked along the beaches of Bodhum enjoying each other's company while basking in the warm light on the sun. It was right about then that things began to change. 'Or maybe it was me who changed' Serah thought to herself as she remembered what had set her down this road.

One day after getting home from work, Serah had decided to make some dinner for herself and Lightning. She was always the more domestic of the sisters and her cooking skills were testament to that. Lebreau used to joke about how Serah must have gotten the homemaking talent from their parents. She'd been in the kitchen nursing some stew when she'd heard the sound of the front door opening and clicking shut. Wiping her hands down on her apron, she'd gone to go and greet Lightning but what she saw was absolutely horrifying. Her sister was dressed in her customary GC uniform but her body was riddled with scars. Bringing her hand up to her mouth as she exhaled a gasp, Serah had noted that there were bandages adorning her sister's left leg that had been soaked through with blood. Her left arm was in a sling that was tied over her shoulder. There were traces of dried blood soaked into her hair. Her lip was cut and there were bruises all over the left hand side of her face. Serah could scarcely believe what she was seeing. She didn't dare to think of how much more was concealed under that uniform. Immediately dropping all pretence, she'd rushed over to her sister's side.  
"Claire!" she'd cried out, not caring that she was using Lightning's real name. "What the hell happened!?" she'd asked, her voice dripping concern. She could see that her sister was a little uneasy on her feet and had offered her shoulder for her to hold onto.  
"Patrol" her sister had replied curtly as she leaned some weight onto Serah's shoulder to help relieve some of the burden on her injured legs. "Behemoth attack" Lightning managed to get out as she grimaced in pain. She'd been on the outskirts of Bodhum with her unit patrolling for any wildlife encroachment when they'd been attacked by the feral beast. Unfortunately she'd suffered the worst during the attack for her refusal to yield to the beast. It had eventually fallen but before re-enforcements could arrive to take some of the heavy lifting. As a result she'd been gravely injured. Lightning had been taken back to base where her injuries were treated by the on-site medics. They'd insisted that she stay with them to recover but Lightning had obstinately refused, citing Serah's concern over her disappearance as justification for getting home as soon as possible. Of course she couldn't communicate the majority of this in the state that she was in.  
"Alright, let's get you inside…." Serah had said before walking her in. Making their way to the living room sofa, Serah gently eased her sister down before rushing into the bathroom to fetch the first aid kit from underneath the sink. Returning a few moments later, she'd knelt down at her sister's side before opening the kit to re-dress her bandages. "I'm sorry" she uttered as she peeled off the old ones. Considering how soaked they were, her wounds must not have had much time to clot which meant that Lightning had made her way back home to her sister with little time to spare as soon as she'd been patched up. Serah had felt tears began to prick the edges of her eyes as she started to bandage her sister. That wasn't the first time she'd had to do so. In fact, lightning had even made sure to teach her how to properly dress a wound in case of just such an eventuality. She'd come home nursing minor injuries in the past but nothing that severe.  
As she finished up the left leg, Serah stood before speaking. "Anywhere else?" she'd asked. Lightning managed to shake her head in response. Serah then went to the kitchen to fetch her sister a glass of water. Setting it down on the table in front of her, she returned the kit back to the bathroom before returning to Lightning's side. She'd stood there for a little while, not saying anything as she observed Lightning's arm. Feeling her gaze on her, Lightning opened her eyes and looked over to see what Serah was staring at. "Dislocated" she explained. "They re-set it after I got back to base." And so, Serah had taken a seat next to Lightning on the sofa and proceeded to address the elephant in the room. She knew this conversation would be difficult at the best of times but seeing as this was the worst occurrence so far, she'd decided to go for it. If there was once thing she'd been certain of at the time, it was that Serah never wanted to see Lightning come through the door looking like that again.  
"How much longer are you going to keep doing this?" she asked. Lightning glanced over to the side to see the expression on her sister's face. She looked like she could burst into tears at any minute.  
"We need the money" Lightning answered simply. She'd been supporting the both of them ever since their parents had passed away. Barely at school-leaving age at the time, Lightning had entered the GC to earn enough money to keep them from being taken into care.  
"Not for much longer" Serah said matter-of-factly. "Once I finish with my placement then I'll start earning a real wage and you can stop getting nearly killed" she implored. Somehow, Lightning had managed to smile when she heard that.  
"You mean I can stop?" Lightning swallowed before speaking again. "Please Miss, I don't want to fight any more Behemoths" she joked.  
"That's not funny" Serah deadpanned.  
"I know" Lightning answered. "Just trying to lighten the mood." Humour was a good sign. Her sister's disposition seemed to be improving bit by bit.  
"I know how important your career is to you Light" Serah said. "I'm not saying you should give it up. But at the very least you could put in for a desk job." She was almost begging her. Lightning nodded her head weakly. In the past she'd always fought Serah whenever she brought up the subject of how dangerous it was to be working for the GC on patrol. But this latest incident had done a remarkable job of shifting her position on that front. Serah reached down to take the glass of water and bring it to Lightning for her to drink. Once she finished the cool liquid, Lighting exhaled. "I've got some food on the go" Serah said. "It'll be ready in a while. But first you need some rest. Don't you dare fight me on this" she said sternly. Lightning wasn't in much of a state to argue so she went along with it. In truth, she probably would have done the same thing if Serah wasn't here. "Alright, let's go Sergeant" Serah said as she helped her sister up.

Together they made their way upstairs. Opening the door, Serah helped her sister in before easing her down onto her bed. She'd started to turn around and walk out but that was when Lightning called out to her. Maybe that was the moment it all started to change. "Serah" Lightning said. "I need a hand getting changed" she said as she gestured down at her arm. Serah sighed when she heard her sister ask for her help.  
"Sure" she said, not thinking about exactly what she had been asked to do. Going back over to her, Serah knelt down and started to take off her sister's boots. Undoing the clips, she pulled each of them off along with her socks. "So how long did they give you?" she asked in serious small-talk.  
"Two weeks" Lightning answered as she wiggled her toes. Man, it felt good to get those off her feet. With her good hand, Lightning opened the clips of her jacket before pulling it off the left side of her body. Serah helped it off of the right side.  
"I'd better not see you try to leave the house" Serah said icily.  
"Not like this" Lightning half-joked as she pulled down the zipper of her sweater. As with the jacket, she took it off her left side as Serah helped her with the right. It was at that exact moment that Serah realized exactly what she was doing. She was undressing her sister. A blush began to creep onto her features as it hit her. Sure, they'd been semi-dressed around each other as kids and she'd seen her fair shares of bodies in the locker rooms at school. But this was different somehow. She tried to look at anything but Lightning as her sister undid the zips on her skirt. With an accelerated heartbeat, Serah reached down and helped Lightning to get it off. Tossing it into the pile of the clothes next to the bed, Serah had turned back to her sister and caught a glimpse of her in her undressed state. Her body was covered in injuries. Serah couldn't help but gasp at the sight of it. But she also noticed how well-developed her older sister was. Shaking her head slightly, she went over to her sister's wardrobe and retrieved a robe for her.  
"Three hours uninterrupted bedrest. Then you come down for dinner" Serah instructed before exiting her sister's room. Then she'd gone back downstairs and gotten to work on her stew, trying hard to forget about the sight she'd just witnessed. Later on they ate without talking to each much other before saying goodnight.

Serah took another sip of her tea. If she had to pinpoint it, that was probably the moment that had planted the seed in her mind.

A few days after that nigh-harrowing occurrence, Serah was walking along the beach with Snow as they so often enjoyed doing. Her face wore an expression of concern laced with worry and Snow, being the intuitive and perceptive man that he was, could pick up on her feelings. Coming to a stop, he lowered his voice and spoke in a soft tone. "Hey Serah, what's wrong?" he asked out of concern for the beautiful girl. Serah wasn't especially inclined to discuss it and so was rather evasive in her response.  
"It's n-nothing, don't worry about it" she said as she tried to pass over his concerns. She didn't want to think about the condition that she'd seen Lightning in for want of not turning into a shivering wreck. But Serah's welfare was Snow's number one priority and he wasn't about to just let this go since he could see it was troubling her.  
"Hey…" he said as he took her chin in hand and raised her eyes up to meet his. "There's nothing more important to me than you. Something's bothering you and I want to help." She knew how persistent the man could be – it was one of his most endearing qualities but it could also be really frustrating at times. Taking a deep breath, Serah tried to steel herself as she recounted the events.  
"Lightning…..came home from work a few days ago. And…..and she was covered in scars, Snow. Her shoulder was dislocated, there were bruises everywhere and I just….I almost fell apart when I saw her like that." When he saw how upset it was making Serah, he did the only thing he could – he took her in his arms and held her tightly. "Serah….." he whispered as he moved his hand up to stroke the top of her head in a reassuring gesture. He knew how important Lightning was to Serah so it came as little surprise to him that this was a source of major upset. As he held her on the beach, Snow spoke softly again. "Is there anything I can do?" The last thing that he wanted to do was drive a wedge between them or stick his nose in business where it wasn't welcome. Lightning had been warming up to him somewhat recently but that didn't mean he was just going to charge in like he usually did. Being with Serah had been good for him in that he'd learned a little self-restraint. She shook her head softly as she leaned her head against his chest, the sound of his beating heart filling her ears.  
"It's okay. It just….threw me for a loop, that's all. We'll be okay." She said that while wishing profoundly that it was true. Of course she didn't mention how she'd seen her sister dressed in nothing but her undergarments. That was something she didn't intend on breathing to a soul. Then something quite unusual happened. For the briefest of moments, the wires in Serah's head began to cross. As the thought of Lightning's state of undress entered her mind, it entangled with the sensation of being held in Snow's arms and she momentarily envisioned being held by a half-naked Lightning. Her eyes went wide but as quickly as the image came, it had vanished. Not long after, Snow and Serah resumed their usual routine and heading to the Nora Café for dinner.

Serah continued sitting at the kitchen table sipping her tea. Recalling the sequential events in her conscious memory like this was actually helping her to gain some clarity. So she decided to continue with her little trip down memory lane.

The next event came a few weeks later. Lightning had since recovered from her injuries and was back at work, albeit on limited duty. They hadn't spoken about what had happened since she'd gone back to work and frankly, Serah was glad for it. The sooner those thoughts disappeared from her mind, the better. Like before, Serah had gotten home earlier than her sister and was sitting in the living room enjoying a book. Sometime later, Lightning arrived back home. When she heard the click of the door closing, Serah involuntarily swallowed a lump in her throat that had begun to form every time she heard her sister come home. "Serah, I'm back!" she heard her call out. Exhaling a breath that she didn't know she'd been holding in, Serah answered. "Welcome home Light." She heard her sister make her way into the lounge before plopping down onto the sofa next to her.  
"Man, it's good to be home" Lightning said as he rubbed her hand on the crook of her neck. Being away from work for so long had meant that she was a little out of her game when she'd gotten back and so was finding it a little more physically taxing than normal. Serah looked over to the side and saw her rubbing her neck. So she put down her book and stood up before circling around to the back of the sofa. Then she put her hands on here either side of her sister's neck and began to rub. If anybody but her tried this, they'd probably get their lights punched out. Lightning just sighed and dropped her hands to her side before leaning back against the sofa. "How did you know this was what I needed?" she asked coyly.  
"Intuition" Serah answered simply. She was no massage therapist, that was for sure but she had the ability to unwind those knots that Lightning accumulated over the course of a hard day's work. Naturally she didn't mind it – Serah loved helping Lightning to feel better. It was the least she could do considering all the lengths she went to at work for their mutual benefit. As her hands began to do their stuff, Lightning closed her eyes and emitted a low moan. "I swear your hands are magic" she said. "You ever get bored of teaching, you could making a fortune giving neck rubs at the GC" Lightning joked. Serah smiled at that. She liked how her sister always felt better when she was at home with her. As she settled into it, Serah could feel how smooth Lightning's skin was to the touch. How on Cocoon her sister managed to do that while working in the military was something Serah doubted she'd ever figure out. Maybe it was just natural. Changing her technique, Serah began to press her thumbs lightly into the crevice of Lightning's trapezoid muscles. She could feel there was a lot of tension there so she started to rub in circles to help alleviate it. Lightning's head was beginning to lull. "If you keep that up, I'm likely to fall asleep" Lightning warned.  
"Almost finished" Serah said as she moved her area of focus towards the centre of her neck, still working out those knots. Her sister exhaled a loud sigh of contentment as he leaned her head forward a little to allow Serah to get a better angle.  
A few minutes passed in silence as Serah continued to rub Lightning's neck. When she was finished, she said "All done" before bending down to kiss the top of Lightning's head. As she straightened back up, Serah found herself furrowing her brow. She wasn't entirely sure why she'd done that. Serah wasn't normally that affectionate with Lightning and more still, she hadn't actually made the decision to do that – it was completely spontaneous. That probably meant it just felt like the natural thing to do. But why she felt that way now and not before was something of a mystery. Even so, Lightning didn't seem to mind. "Thanks Serah. I'm gonna go take a shower" she said before heading upstairs to her room. Serah scratched the back of her head as her sister walked away and sat back down on the sofa before attempting to get back into her book. Then she realized that at that very moment, Lightning must have been in her room getting undressed. Feeling her cheeks darken at the thought, Serah rapidly shook her head from side to side in a physical attempt to dispel the thoughts that were accumulating there. But it was no good. 'Why the hell do I keep thinking these things?' she thought to herself. She tried to pick up where she left off but it was a futile effort – she found herself re-reading the same paragraph over and over again. Maybe a walk would help to clear her head…..

Serah swallowed a lump in her throat as she thought about the next event that had come after that one. Whether it was a genuine accident or whether it had been by some kind to unconscious design, she couldn't possibly say. Maybe it had been providence. Whatever it was, it had been enough to send her over the edge.

As per usual, Serah had come home before dropping off her things from work. Her little event with Lightning the week before had diminished from her conscious memory but it was still there in the back of her mind. She'd been hoping that her work would help to distract her but it hadn't worked as well as she'd hoped. Rubbing her bridge, Serah decided to go and take a shower. Her sister wouldn't be getting home for a while yet so she had the place to herself. She went up to her room and retrieved a bathrobe from the wardrobe. She then started to undress. Kicking off her shoes, she then took off her trousers and pulled her top off over head with a sigh. It felt nice to get out of those clothes after a long day. She then reached around to unhook her bra and toss it into the pile with the rest of her things. She should probably put those in the wash later. Pulling down her panties, she stood naked for a brief moment before re-dressing in her robe. She then went down the hall towards the bathroom.  
When she opened the door, she was greeted with a sight she never expected to see. Lightning was standing there completely naked. Serah's eyes went wide and she gasped in shock. Lightning had a similar reaction. In the brief time it took for her to try and cover herself, Serah had seen Lightning's body. It was still showing some signs of scarring but she wasn't focused on that. No, it was the magnificence of her nudity that captivated her – the curvature of her bosom and the slender perfection of her hips. But she didn't have more than a second to admire them before she realized exactly what was happening. "Oh my god! Lightning, I'm so sorry!" Serah called out before she brought her hand in front of her eyes and looked down towards the ground before backing out the way she came with the door in tow. "I'm sorry, I…I didn't know you were home!" Serah called out, her cheeks crimson red.  
"No, Serah it's, it's my fault – I should have locked the door. I'm sorry" Lightning called out, who had now gotten a towel wrapped around herself to try and preserve her decency. Serah just shook her head before pointing back down the hall, even though her sister could see the gesture she was making. "I'm just gonna go wait in my room" she said before beating a hasty retreat. Back in the sanctity of her room, Serah closed the door behind her before leaning back against it. She couldn't believe that just happened. What was worse still was how she'd actually checked out her sister, no matter how briefly it had been. "Oh god….." she bemoaned as she buried her face in her hands. "What the hell is wrong with me?" she asked the room. Silence was her only answer. For a second, Serah wished she'd gotten a response. But did she even want to hear it? Serah went to sit down on her bed as she waited for Lightning to finish up so she could take a shower.  
Later on when they sat down to eat, neither one of them said a word to each other about what had happened. Serah was indescribably grateful for that – she didn't think she'd be able to handle the awkwardness.

Serah nodded her head as she finished her tea. Things had only gone downhill from that point on. She'd been unable to confide in Snow about what had been happening at home. In fact, there was nobody that she'd been able to talk to about it. So she'd had to bury it deep inside her and try to go about her daily routine as best she could. A few of the other teachers had commented about how she seemed to be distant at work but she'd just tried to pass it off as nothing major. 'Oh, it's nothing. I've just been having sexual thoughts about my sister. No biggie. I'm sure that'd go down a real treat' she'd thought to herself cynically.  
Of course she tried to suppress her feelings. It hadn't been working. Even when she'd been with Snow, her thoughts kept floating back to her sister. Even when they made love, it wasn't enough to keep her from picturing Lightning. The first time that had happened, Serah had to ask Snow to stop for how ill it made her feel. He'd asked about her but she had to pass it off as nothing again. If this went on much longer, Serah felt like she was going to start pulling her hair out.  
Then Serah thought about the day that she'd crossed over.

Lightning had called in the afternoon to let her know that she'd be working late. Serah told her that she'd leave some diner for her in the microwave to heat up when she got back. There was a part of her that was glad that she'd have an evening without having to see Lightning since it meant that she wouldn't have to deal with these feelings. However, that just made her feel guilty for wanting to avoid her sister because of her problems. She knew how much Lightning's disposition improved when they were together so it wasn't fair to keep her distance through no fault of her sister's. When she got home later that day, Serah went straight up to her room to lie down. She was nursing a headache and she could barely think straight. Her mental suppression was faltering and she couldn't bring herself to keep fighting it the rest of the day so Serah just rolled onto her back and decided to let the feelings and memories out. She thought about how smooth Lightning's skin was to the touch, about how she retained her femininity, about how her hair smelled when she got out of the shower, about how sexy she looked in her underwear. Serah lay there just thinking about Lightning. Before long she started to lose track of time. As the memory of her naked body came to mind, something happened. Serah hadn't expected it to happen and she wasn't fully able to grasp the implications behind it. As the image of Lightning's uncovered body took precedence in her thoughts, Serah found herself getting wet. It was just a little at first but when it happened, Serah looked down at herself wondering what the hell was wrong with her again. Even so, her arousal didn't subside. Letting her head fall back against the pillow in resignation, Serah thought 'The hell with it. Maybe it'll help.'

Then she started to slide her hand into her trousers. At first, she tried to think of Snow like she always did when she touched herself. His toned body and his muscles abs, his sexual prowess and his husky voice were usually enough to get in in the mood and right down to business. But it just wasn't working this time. But when Lightning came to mind, her touch became electric. 'This isn't right' she thought to herself as she began to work herself. In a strange moment of perversion, the thought of how wrong it was for Serah to touch herself when thinking of her big sister actually turned her on even more. Her fingers started to move faster as her breathing became more rapid. This wouldn't do – she needed more space. Not wanting to stop feeling good, Serah peeled off all of her clothes as quickly as she could and left them on the floor before she resumed her activity. That was better. She felt her arousal mounting as she continued her illicit motions. 'This is wrong. I shouldn't be enjoying this' she thought again. But once more, she attempts to reproach herself only succeeded in making her even hornier. Serah found herself craving Lightning's touch. Her rational mind and her logical senses were being overridden by primal lust and desire. She couldn't help herself. As much as she knew it would probably destroy their relationship, Serah wanted nothing more than for her sister to hold her, to touch her, to make her feel good.

If she later asked herself why she did what she did next, she wouldn't be able to give a good answer. Serah got up from her bed, completely naked, and went down the hall to Lightning's room. Not even bothering to knock, she opened the door and stepped inside before closing it behind her. She then went over to Lightning's bed and knelt down beside it before leaning down to smell the sheets. They smelled just like Lightning. Serah then lay down on her sister's bed and resumed touching herself. 'Why am I doing this? I shouldn't be doing this. It's wrong. I could get in so much trouble. It's dirty' Serah kept thinking to herself. Whatever attempts she made to discourage herself only succeeded in getting her off faster and harder. It was like the wires in her brain had been crossed again, only this time the connections were more perverse which, in turn, made the pleasure that much more powerful. "Lightning!" Serah called out as her fingers went faster and faster. Eventually, the illicit taboo of it was enough to send her over the edge. Cumming hard, Serah cried out as she orgasmed on Lightning's bed.

When she came down, Serah realized exactly what it was she had just done. A look of quasi-horror appeared on her face before she clasped her hand over her mouth. 'What have I done?' she thought as she bent down to look between her legs. She'd come all over Lightning's bed. She couldn't find out about this, not ever. Leaping up for the bed with remarkable speed, Serah sped down to the bathroom to collect up some wipes. She then returned to Lightning's room and did her best to clean up the mess she'd made. As she cleared herself up, Serah felt guilty beyond words for what she'd just done, not only because she'd violated the sanctity of her sister's room in the worst way possible but because of how good it had felt. If she was being brutally honest with herself, it may have been one of the best orgasms of her life. And that was what terrified the girl. Tears began to form at the edges of her eyes. "What the hell is wrong with me?" she asked out loud over and over again as she finished cleaning up after herself. Serah started to berate herself for her deviant behaviour. 'Normal people don't masturbate in their sibling's bedroom' she rationalized. There had to be something wrong with her. There was something perverted and wrong inside of her and it was manifesting in horrendous ways. She did her best to make it look as if she'd never been inside her sister's room before beating a hasty a retreat to the bathroom for a shower.  
She felt dirty. What she'd just done was dirty. Her thoughts were dirty. There wasn't a single aspect of this entire scenario that wasn't dirty. Yes, a shower would help. It had to. Making her way into the walk-in unit, Serah turned on the water and cranked up the heat. As the hot liquid began to shoot out and drench her body, Serah leaned her forehead against the wall. "Is this why I've been so distant with Snow?" she asked aloud. That just made her feel even guiltier. She felt a nauseating queasiness in her stomach as all the different threads of what was going on began to fall into place. And at the heart of it all was her sister. When she'd finally finished processing everything that was going on inside her mind, the water had begun to run cold. There was only one conclusion the young woman she could draw and it was as devastating as it was dangerous. Serah could barely countenance the thought. She tried to give it voice in an attempt to solidify it before it slipped away. "I….." she began before swallowing. "I...l-love my sister. Oh my god….."

And that was how it had begun. In the weeks that followed, Serah did her best to try and conceal this revelation from the people around her. She was succeeding but it had been at the cost of her own sanity. Keeping this secret was making her lose sleep, as well as her appetite. A couple of people had commented at work about how she had rings under her eyes or that she was looking a little on the thin side. Serah just tried to chalk it up to a bad night's sleep because of a party or that she'd skipped breakfast for some reason or another. She was a smart girl though and she knew she wouldn't be able to keep silent forever. It wasn't doing her health any good, that was for sure. Eventually she'd wind up having a nervous breakdown or something akin to it. And that was what had brought her here and now to the kitchen table with an empty cup of tea in front of her.  
After much soul-searching, she'd chosen to confide in Lightning. She was well aware of the implications of this decision. Doing so could cause a tectonic upheaval of her entire life. Her sister might disown her, she could be forced to move out, Snow might break up with her and she could be fired from her position – all for harbouring such taboo feelings. But to keep silent would have been to do herself even more of a disservice in the long-run. Serah couldn't live a lie like this. Glancing up at the clock on the wall, she saw that Lightning would be getting home soon. And when she did, they'd have a lot to talk about.

 **And that's Chapter 1. Any constructive criticism about pacing, narrative flow, spacing, grammar or other things would be readily welcomed.**


	2. Confrontation

**Author's Note: Reviews sustain my matrix**  
 **Disclaimer: Final Fantasy, and all of its respective trademark property, is owned by Square Enix. I don't own a thing.**

"Serah, I'm home!"  
As soon as she heard the words, Serah felt herself become queasy. To call it getting butterflies would have been a gross understatement – she felt like she'd just been punched in the gut. She tried to steady her breathing as her heart-rate skyrocketed. She was beginning to lose the feeling in her extremities and to top it all off, she was trembling. At least she wasn't perspiring; otherwise it might have looked like she was coming down with the flu.  
She heard Lightning come in and sit down on the sofa in the living room. In what could only be described as a tectonic effort of will, Serah eventually managed to rise to her feet. She almost had to will her feet into motion, so strong was her desire to stay put and avoid this but she knew she had to do it. It was utterly terrifying. Eventually she made her way into the lounge and sat down. This time she decided to take up a slightly more diplomatic position on the chair adjacent to the sofa as opposed to sitting next to her sister like she customarily did. Taking a deep breath to try and steady her nerves, she could scarcely bring herself to make eye contact with Lightning which, of course, merely tipped her hand.

"Are you okay Serah? You look pale" Lightning observed.  
Upon hearing her sister's utterance, Serah immediately felt an urge to just start babbling everything at once, to let pour all of the emotions and thoughts that had been welling up inside of her for so long. As quickly as the urge came, it disappeared. Serah knew that if she started out like that, she'd probably scare Lightning off. Either that or cause her to just go up into her room until she'd managed to calm herself down and hold a rational conversation. Clasping her hands together in her lap, she took in a deep breath. She wasn't really sure how to even begin broaching the topic so she just decided to answer her sister's question.  
"No, Lightning. I'm not. I haven't been for a long time."  
Now it was Lightning's turn to grow concerned. Her sister's well-being was paramount above everything else in her mind so to hear that she wasn't doing well was a cause for concern and a grave one at that when she took into account that this had been going on for a while. She leaned forward on the sofa as a concerned expression began to emerge on her face.  
"What's wrong? Are you ill?" she asked, worry evident in her voice.  
"Sick in the head, maybe" Serah answered cynically. That came out more bluntly than she'd intended but it was actually quite a succinct description for how she was feeling. After all, since her bout of self-indulgence on Lightning's bed, it was a thought that had been repeating in her head over and over again. Lightning, meanwhile, had furrowed her brow in confusion as she failed to grasp the significance behind her sister's words.  
"What are you talking about?" she asked, the desire for clarification clear as day.  
"I….oh, where do I even start?" Serah pondered out loud as she brought a hand up to rub the bridge of her nose. Maybe if she did like she did in the kitchen and started outlining things from the beginning, that would help. "Do you remember shortly after I moved back when you came home from that Behemoth attack?"  
"Serah, I told you I'd put in for a desk job" Lightning said in an exasperated tone of voice before leaning back on the sofa. She thought this was a conversation about her job and she wasn't especially keen on having it. She'd already compromised on that and there was a timetable in place so she couldn't fathom what the problem was.  
"No, that's…..that's not where I'm going with this" Serah tried to clarify. Were it was so simple. "Lightning, the last few months I've been growing…...distant from Snow" she confessed. That was an admission of truth and no minor one. He'd been absolutely fantastic to her and she couldn't help but feel horrible about it. Through no fault of his own the man had found himself becoming separated from the woman he loved because of her perverse thoughts and desires. It wasn't fair on him by any stretch of the imagination. And the wonderful, sweet man had only tried to help her through it and to be there for her whenever she felt like opening up to him.  
"Well, I've always said he was an oaf" Lightning deadpanned. She'd never hidden her feelings about Snow. While she couldn't deny that he was a good man who treated her sister right, there was still something about him that bugged her. She just never did like him much.  
"No, Snow's been great and that's the problem. No, he's not the problem, I am" Serah said.  
"Serah, you haven't been making much sense since I got in. What's going on?" Lightning asked as she tried to cut through to the heart of the matter. Serah did her best to try and breathe normally in an attempt to steady herself but it wasn't working too well. Taking another deep breathe, she slowly brought her head up to try and look her sister in the eyes. Those big, beautiful, gorgeous eyes.  
"Lightning, I've….I've fallen in love with somebody else" she finally managed to get out. As soon as she managed to get the words out, Serah felt the fear in her gut intensify. If Lightning had any inclination of what she'd been feeling recently then she'd know exactly what she meant. But in her usual steadfast manner, Lightning simply nodded her head slowly before responding.  
"Does Snow know about this?" she asked simply.  
"God, no. And that's part of it. I mean, he has no idea and I just feel so guilty about it. He just holds me and tells me he loves me and says that he'll be there for me no matter what and I just hate myself for it because I could never bring myself to hurt him for something he's not responsible for" Serah said rapidly. She was starting to outpour now. Lightning, on the other hand, was still as composed as ever. She was the rock that Serah could never be and it was just another one of her qualities that Serah found endearing.  
"I see" she said simply. Then there was a pause as she stopped to consider her response. There was a part of Serah that wished the floor would just open up and swallow her for fear of how she'd respond. She just wrung her hands in her lap as she waited for her to answer. "How long have you felt this way?"  
"A long time. It's just…Lightning, I feel so horrible" she admitted.  
"I can see why" Lightning said as she tried to empathize with her sister. "Serah, you know I'm not exactly an expert when it comes to these kinds of things." That was putting things lightly. To the best of Serah's knowledge, Lightning had never brought a man home. Or if she had, she'd done it with expert secrecy. Maybe there'd been somebody at the GC base but if there was she hadn't breathed a word about it. Not that it was any of her business, of course. Then Serah felt another wave of nausea wash over her as she realized something. She'd never taken into consideration whether or not Lightning might be in a relationship of her own which meant that if she was and Serah was telling her all of this now, then she'd be wrecking another relationship. Yet another person whose happiness might be destroyed because of her deviant inclinations.  
"I feel like I'm gonna throw up" Serah said openly.  
"If it's affecting you that badly then you need to tell him" Lightning said as she tried to advise her sister.  
"You have no idea. Mrs. Sanders even said how rough I've been looking the last couple of weeks" Serah said off-handedly.  
"Look, Serah, I'm not trying to sound uncaring. But if this is causing you that much upset then I don't see why you don't just break up with Snow and tell this guy how you feel." This was one of the milestones in the conversation that Serah had not been looking forward to by any stretch of the imagination. The fact was that she would have liked nothing more than to simply let her sister's comment pass by but she couldn't. Years from now when she looked back on this day and thought about how things transpired, the fact is that she might very well hate herself for not being honest with Lightning. So for the sake of her future sanity, she had to press on.  
"Lightning, it's…..it's not…." She began as she tried to explain. This was harder than she expected. Swallowing a lump that had formed in her throat, Serah steeled herself as she said the next words. "It's not a guy." She then glanced in her sister's direction. Lightning's eyes had gone wide and her mouth had contorted into an o shape. There was a sense of disbelief hanging in the air. Serah then went back to looking at the floor as she wrapped her arms around herself. She wasn't sure how much time passed but it seemed like eternity in her mind as she waited for Lightning to say something.  
"Serah…." Lightning began carefully. "Are you trying to tell me that you're gay?" Lightning was incredulous. She'd had absolutely no idea. Serah had never uttered so much as an opinion on the topic before. How long had she been harbouring these feelings for? Lightning felt like kicking herself. How could she not have noticed? It was her job to look out for Serah, to keep her safe. Something of this magnitude that was troubling her so much, she should have noticed.  
"Yes. No. Hell, I don't know" Serah said as she let her confusion out. She then leaned forward and buried her face in her hands. This was utterly mortifying. The worst part was that she hadn't even gotten to the worst of it yet. She could feel tears beginning to prick at the edges of her eyes. 'Not now' she thought to herself. 'For the love of god, not now.'  
"Serah" Lightning said in a firm tone of voice. Serah wanted to look over to her sister but she couldn't. She couldn't articulate why but she just couldn't. She then heard the sound of Lightning getting up from the sofa. Raising her head up just a little, she could see Lightning enter the periphery of her vision. She'd gotten up and was currently stooped down on one knee next to the chair. Lightning then reached out and took Serah's hand in hers, stroking the back of it with her thumb in a reassuring gesture as she spoke.  
"Serah, I don't care if you're gay or straight. You're my sister and I love you. That will never change. I swear it" Lightning said with conviction clear in her tone. Serah then managed to look her sister in the eyes. She saw the fierce determination behind them and heard the utter seriousness with which she spoke. She really didn't care. Serah swallowed again. She didn't know how much long she'd be able to keep going for.  
"You don't know, Claire. You don't know-"  
"Serah, you are the most important thing to me in the whole world and the absolute last thing I want is for you to think that I'd ever abandon you or walk away. I'd die before that happened." When she heard her sister say those words, Serah couldn't hold back anymore. She threw her arms around Lightning and buried her face into the crook of her neck as the well of emotions inside her finally overflowed. She started bawling her eyes out. Lightning responded by wrapping her arms around her sister and stroking the back of her head.  
"It's okay. It's okay" she whispered over and over again.  
"No. No Claire, it's not" Serah managed to get out as she scrunched up her eyes and held onto her sister tightly. Serah honestly didn't think she'd ever held onto her sister as tightly as she ever did in that moment. She was afraid that after today she'd never get to hold her again and that was a prospect more terrifying than death itself.  
"Serah, I promise-" Lightning started before she was the one who was interrupted.  
"No, no, no, no, no, no, you don't understand!" Serah wailed as she pulled back from Lightning. Her eyes were red and puffy and her mascara was smeared down her cheeks. She looked like an absolute wreck. Lightning looked at her with concern and fear in her eyes. She'd never seen Serah like this before and it was scaring her. Serah got up from her seat and put her hands on either side of her head as she started to squeeze in a physical attempt to quell the emotional turmoil within. It was all too much. Months of anguish, of pain, of fear, of self-loathing and hatred, it was all coming to the surface now. "There's something wrong with me! There has to be!" she yelled out. "Normal people don't feel like this!"  
"I don't care!" Lightning shouted as she got up and marched around to her sister's front before taking her by the shoulders. "You're my sister and I love you!" she repeated. "Nothing will ever change that!" It was at that precise moment that what little self-control Serah had left evaporated. When Lightning said those words, she felt such a self-destructive loathing of herself for her perverted nature that she found herself wanting to prove Lightning wrong. At the same time, she couldn't hold back her feelings any longer as she wanted to show exactly what it was that was bothering her. It was a culmination of so many thoughts and feelings that Serah was practically a walking hurricane.  
With Lightning's hands on her shoulders, Serah released her head before placing both of her hands on Lightning cheeks. She then pulled as she brought Lightning closer to her and stepped forward to meet her. Then with the speed befitting her sister's moniker, Serah pressed her lips to Lightning's. It was only for a second before she felt herself being pushed away by the force of her sister's hands on her chest. When they separated, Serah looked at her with a gaze of pleading desperation.  
"Do you see now?" She wailed. "Do you see what's wrong with me Claire!?"  
"Serah, what the hell was that!?" Lightning asked with an incredulous look on her face. She brought the back of her hand up to wipe her lips off. When she'd said that she wasn't an expert when it came to these things, Lightning wasn't exaggerating. She thought that Serah's gesture was merely an expression of frustration and anger. That her own sister could be romantically attracted to her was a prospect that still hadn't clicked for her yet. Serah, meanwhile, was looking at her was an expression that was somewhere between revulsion and disbelief. If that wasn't enough to make her understand then she'd just have to spell it out in black and white. At this point the logical centres of her mind had all but disengaged and she was running on pure emotion.  
"Don't you get it!? I love you Claire!" Serah yelled at her sister. Once she'd said the words, there was silence. Neither of them said a word as the implications of what Serah had just said hung in the air like an odour. Lightning then, very slowly, raised her foot up before placing it behind her and taking a delicate step back from her sister. The movement didn't go unnoticed. Serah could practically feel Lightning's revulsion washing over her.  
"Are you trying to tell me-" Lightning began as she tried to get this all straight in her mind.  
"Yes!" Serah shouted. Her sister then brought her hand up to her mouth before looking off to the side. This was something she hadn't expected. It wasn't even something she'd been able to contemplate in her wildest dreams. Serah was in love with…her. Now it was Lightning's turn to feel like she'd been punched in the gut. Her breathing became erratic as the implications of this whole episode finally began to sink in. 'So that's it' she thought to herself. She was becoming distant from Snow because she'd fallen in love with her. That was why she'd been looking so pale and why she'd been in such a state. As she tried to process all of this, Lightning attempted to breathe in and out through her nose. She did her best to control the pace but it wasn't working. Her guts still felt like they were being churned about. No matter how much she tried to control it, her body was acting up of its own accord. Then her eyes went wide as she realized exactly what it was that was being communicated to her brain.

Lightning dashed out of the room. Serah called out behind her but she didn't have time to hang about. Running up the stairs, she headed straight for the bathroom before sinking to her knees in front of the toilet. She somehow managed to pull her hair back and she began to throw up. Groaning as she lost the contents of her stomach, Lightning did her best to try and breathe in-between bouts of expulsion. As she painted the edges of the porcelain bowl with her insides, Serah followed upstairs and listened to the sounds of Lightning being sick. 'Yep, that sounds about right' she thought cynically as she stood in the entrance to the bathroom and watched the sight before her. It was ironic that the last time this had happened, it had served to help precipitate this entire situation. After a few minutes of convulsions, Lightning eventually managed to get her reflex under control. She sat there and breathed heavily before reaching out to push the handle and flush the contents away.  
"Do you hate me?" Serah asked simply. Lightning refused to countenance the thought. She was suffering from sensory overload. This was too much. She'd come home from work as usual to find that her sister wanted to commit incest with her, of all things. Lightning thought she taste some more bile in the back of her throat when she pictured that image. She wasn't going to deal with this right now.  
"Get out" she said to her sister.  
"Claire-"  
"Out!" she barked.

There was a small part of her deep down that knew she should have been more diplomatic with Serah considering the state that she was in but that was a very small part and Lightning, frankly, didn't want to lay eyes on her a moment longer. Serah turned around wordlessly and went down the hall into her room and closed the door behind her, making sure to lock it for good measure which was perfectly fine with Lightning. In a somewhat ironic moment of mirrored sentiment, Lightning felt dirty, like she needed a shower. Closing the door to the bathroom, she unceremoniously tugged off all of her clothes and threw them into a pile on the floor before walking into the shower and cranking it up as high as it would go.  
'Oh my god' she kept thinking to herself over and over again as the hot water began to wash over her naked body. She'd had absolutely no idea. Serah had said that this had been going on for a long time and she didn't have the faintest clue. While it was undeniably true that she'd been busy with work and arranging transfers as well as paperwork, she still saw her sister at the end of the day, still talked to her about her life and how she was getting on. How could she not have seen this? Then Lightning reproached herself as she though that to not have seen it coming was a perfectly understandable occurrence. How many people's sisters suddenly turned around one day and said "I'm in love with you?" Lightning remembered everything her sister had told her about Snow before beginning to comprehend that she was the reason that they'd been drifting apart. That was something else to feel guilty about. Lightning didn't know how long she stayed in the shower for but she was pretty sure about one thing – she wouldn't be able to look Serah in the eye for a long time. Well, that and the fact that she'd lost her appetite for dinner.  
Lightning turned off the water and stepped out of the shower before towelling herself off. She collected her clothes and headed off to her room before lying down on the bed. She sighed deeply and stared up at the ceiling. Lightning wasn't sure how long she stayed like that but she suspected that she wouldn't be getting a great deal of sleep that night. 'So what the hell do I do now?' she thought. That was the million dollar question. There was a part of her that wanted to barge into Serah's room and scream at her, to tell her to stay away from her, to call her a freak and to berate her for feeling such things. What worried Lightning was that she suspected she'd enjoy doing that quite a bit. Then there was another part of her that wanted to wrap her arm around her sister and console her. It couldn't have been easy to conceal for such a long time. Lightning suspected that if she'd been burdened by something like that, she'd probably want somebody to talk to who could sympathize and help her with what she was going through. Then there was the part of her that wanted to run away. That sounded pretty appealing. She didn't plan on abandoning Serah but some distance would probably be a good thing. She could stay on-base at the GC for a while to give them both time to figure things out.

While Lightning was trying to make plans and work through what was going on, Serah, or the other hand, was a wreck. She was lying on her bed in the foetal position and crying her eyes out. She'd ruined everything. She expected that Lightning wouldn't react well to her confession but she didn't think that she'd become physically ill. That had cut her deeper than any knife could possibly hope to. It was possible that Lightning could hear her wailing from down the hall but she was so far beyond caring that she didn't even try to censor her cries of anguish. Lightning was the most important person to her in the entire world – she was the only family she had left and now she'd completely alienated her to the point where she couldn't stand to be in the same room with her. That made Serah bawl even harder.  
What would their parents have said if they'd survived to see this turn of events? They'd probably ship Serah off for psychiatric counselling and forbid her from ever being alone with her sister again. Somewhere deep down, Serah knew that was probably the right thing to do, the logical thing to do. However, Serah couldn't bear to be apart from Lightning. The very notion of her sister not being a part of her life was enough to make her feel ill. She wrapped her arms around herself and wept. She'd wrecked her relationship with Lightning and wrecked herself in the process. Why did she ever think that this was a good idea? Because it would hurt more if she didn't? Right now, Serah felt like it was physically, emotionally and psychologically impossible to feel worse than she did at that moment. She wanted to curl up even tighter and just die.


	3. Reunion

**Author's Note: Please, continue to review. Any and all feedback is readily welcomed. I need to know if there's anything I can do to improve.  
** **Disclaimer: Final Fantasy, and all of its respective trademark property, is owned by Square Enix. I don't own a thing.**

Neither of them got much sleep. Serah's alarm went off as it always did but instead of switching it off like she always did she just brushed it off the bedside table onto the floor. Her face looked like thunder. Somehow managing to drag herself out of bed, she opened the door to her room and listened. The house was deadly quiet. Lightning must have already gotten up and left hours ago. Serah sighed deeply as she went to make herself something to eat before work. If she didn't have her job then in all probability she would have just stayed in bed all day long. As she was pouring herself a cup of coffee, Serah was somewhat surprised that she wasn't still crying. Maybe she just didn't have any more tears left in her. Predictably, she wasn't especially hungry so she settled on making herself a small bowl of cereal. There was a part of her that knew she should have something more wholesome since breakfast was the most important meal of the day but it was vastly overshadowed by the feeling of numbness that had overcome her. Lightning was gone and it was all her fault. She had nobody to blame but herself. Sighing once again, Serah glanced down at her watch once she'd finished her meagre excuse for a meal. She'd have to get going to work soon or else she'd be late. If there was one thing that had been drilled into her, it was that punctuality was non-negotiable in her profession – if the kids were expected to be on time then their teachers doubly so. She fetched her coat before taking one last look back into the house. 'I wonder if she'll be here when I get back….' Serah wondered solemnly. More likely than not she wouldn't be.

"Parade! Attention!"  
Lightning snapped to attention as the morning roster was called. She'd come into work early that morning. Other officers had commented on her early arrival but she'd just brushed them off by saying that she'd had a rough night and would rather come in to work it off rather than spend hours tossing and turning in a vain attempt to get back to sleep. Her excuse seemed to work since nobody questioned it. It was helpful that it was in keeping with her established character as well – she had a reputation for being something of a workaholic in the GC. At first Lightning had tried to busy herself with some paperwork but that had proved to be too mundane to be a real distraction so instead she decided to clean her Blazefire Saber. Weapon maintenance was something that appealed to her methodical nature since it was a meticulous and ordered task. She would have done it more were it not for the fact that it became tedious after a while. Still, she began to break down the gunblade component by component and start cleaning. With practised ease, the solder dutifully performed her routine up until it was time for the morning parade. During that period, Lightning allowed her thoughts to wonder. What had happened the night before had thrown her for a loop, which pretty much went without saying. Having had a little time to think it over, she'd decided that it would be best to keep her distance from Serah for a little while. Judging from her sister's emotional state, Lightning deduced that her kiss was based upon that emotion and not, in fact, upon true romantic sentiment. It was just a spur-of-the-moment reaction. At least, that was how she tried to rationalize it. She'd just give her some time to think it over and then things would be back to normal. 'That's a lie and you know it' said a voice from deep inside Lightning. She didn't flinch when she heard it, though. She just ignored it and pushed it as deep down inside her as she possibly could.  
After the day's duty assignments had been handed out, the parade was dismissed.  
"Sergeant Farron, a word please" came a voice. It belonged to her CO, Lieutenant Amodar. He was a kindly man, always had a finger on the pulse of the people who served with him. It was what made him such an effective leader. To Lightning's detriment at this particular moment in time, it was also what made him a mild annoyance.  
"Yes sir" Lightning said before shooting him a quick salute. Even during informal encounters, she never neglected protocol.  
"At ease, Farron" the Lieutenant said. He'd told Lightning before that she didn't have to be so courteous but she never listened. Well, to be more accurate she'd listen, say yes and then proceed to ignore it. "Are you feeling alright today Sergeant?" he inquired.  
"Sir?" Lightning asked with a furrowed brow. She didn't think there was anything in her behaviour this morning to give away any sign of internal conflict or unease.  
"The bags under your eyes" he explained. "And you seem a little more pensive than usual" Amodar observed. Lightning allowed herself a discreet exhalation of air. The man knew her.  
"Just….personal problems sir" Lightning said, not wanting to elaborate. She considered the Lieutenant a friend but this was not something she was prepared to discuss with him or anyone else. As far as she was concerned, what was happening between her and Serah was nobody's business.  
"Farron, you're distracted. I know you don't like to have your affairs meddled with but I need to know what's going on" the Lieutenant said. "I can't help you if you don't help me." Lightning sighed. She knew he wasn't going to just let this go. After the behemoth attack, she knew he wouldn't risk putting her in a squad if there was something going on with her. A chain was only as strong as its weakest link and Amodar wasn't about to compromise the safety of his men, even if it did mean going where he wasn't welcome. She decided to give him an honest half-answer.  
"Sir, I….can't go into it. You know I would if I could but it really is a personal matter I can't discuss" Lightning said.  
"Sergeant, I won't have one of my finest soldiers distracted" he insisted. He was as concerned about her mental well-being as he was her physical. The mind of a solder was just as important as the body and unless she could wield both effectively, her efficiency would be compromised. "Do I need to send you on vacation?"  
"No!" Lightning burst out. As soon as she made the exclamation, she regained her composure. "I'm sorry sir. It's just that I really would prefer to work. I need to work in order to get through this" she elaborated. "Please…." came the sound of her plea. The Lieutenant folded his arms as he contemplated her request.  
"Alright. But if there's any more problems or if something happens then you're on leave. Is that clear?" Amodar asked.  
"Yes sir" Lightning answered curtly before saluting once more.  
"Dismissed" Amodar said.  
Lightning was glad beyond articulation that he hadn't sent her home. She wasn't sure she could bear to be around Serah right now. Actually, that was a point. Lightning proceeded to pull out her phone before punching up Serah's number. She didn't want to worry her unnecessarily so she should probably let her know what was happening.

Serah sat at her desk, busily doing some marking while the class sat in front of her doing an assignment. Mrs. Sanders had let her have the class for the day after saying she was ready to start taking over for herself. The kids didn't seem to mind and quite a few of them actually enjoyed having her as their teacher. In the silence of the room, Serah felt her phone vibrate against her leg. She knew she wasn't supposed to have it on during class since it set a bad example but after what had happened the night before she wasn't prepared to let any potential message from Lightning pass her by without notice. Discreetly slipping it out of her pocket and glancing down at her phone while she held it alongside her, she noticed the text message from her sister. Opening it, she read the contents. 'Not coming home for a while. Staying on-base at the GC' it said. Serah sniffed after she finished reading it. She put her phone back into her pocket and tried to resume her marking but she couldn't. She just couldn't. Deep down she'd been expecting it but to actually read it and know that it was happening was something completely different. Serah tried to keep her composure but she found she was struggling. She swallowed a lump and tried to focus but it seemed like her attempts to control herself were having the opposite effect. She needed to get out of here. "Keep working on your assignment, I'll be back in a minute" Serah said before getting up from behind her desk and making a beeline for the bathroom. As soon as she was incised, Serah shut the door behind her before leaning back against it. Then she started to cry.  
'So much for running out of tears' she thought cynically as they began to fall down her cheeks. It was all falling to pieces. She started to bang her head backwards as she berated herself for her stupidity for what seemed to be the millionth time. She fetched some tissues from inside on of the stalls and went to blow her nose. She couldn't afford to have a collapse, not like this, not at school. She went over to the sink to rinse her face off in cold water. The sensation of the cool liquid splashing against her skin did help somewhat. She then got back to class where the kids were still busy writing in their books. Some people might have been surprised that they were so orderly and composed but anyone who knew Serah's teaching methods knew that she could be very scary at times. The kids certainly knew that so they never risked invoking the wrath of 'Meanie Miss Farron' as she'd been nick-named among some of the class. Serah did her best to try and get back to work but the seed had been planted. She knew that she'd be thinking about it for a long time.

Indeed she did. Several weeks passed as Lightning stayed on-base with Serah left alone at home. During that time Serah's sense of despair and self-loathing only began to mount. She cursed herself for what could only be classified in her mind as her insanity each and every day. Worse still, she'd all but isolated herself from poor Snow who'd begun to grow more than concerned for Serah's wellbeing. He'd consulted with the other members of Nora who'd assured him that things would be fine and that Serah would open up to him when she was ready. Only this time she wasn't going to, nor did she ever plan to.  
Whereas before she was merely thinning from worry, she was actively avoiding food now. In her mind, it was an active penance for what she'd done. She didn't deserve to eat well after driving her sister away. She didn't see much of her friends and she barely interacted with the other teachers at school in the staff room. It was just easier that way. 'It's all my fault' she kept thinking to herself over and over again. She'd tried getting in touch with Lightning but all of her phone calls and messages went unanswered. She suspected that Lightning was actively ignoring them and deleting them on arrival. It may have just been her way of coping or it may have just been that she was busy at work. Either way, it was agony for Serah who was dying to know how she felt.

One evening, Serah was at home siting on the sofa. She was just staring off into space and lamenting her situation. By this stage she'd started to think that Lightning was never coming home, that one day she'd just get home from work to find that her sister had cleared out all of her things and disappeared. There was a part of Serah that wouldn't blame her if she did and might even consider it poetic justice. What greater irony could there be than her sister being driven away by the attempt to bring them closer together? If Lightning left then Serah would probably just shut down. She was the only thing she had left in the world, the only blood relative and family and if she left then Serah would have nothing. How would she be able to go on if that happened? 'I probably wouldn't' she thought darkly.  
While this rather grim line of thinking was taking place, Lightning was on the other side of the front door working up the courage to come inside. She hadn't breathed a word to a single soul but being separated from Serah for so long was taking its toll. Every day she wondered about how she was getting on without her. She'd been feeling guilty about having run away from her as well. Lightning knew how much this had affected Serah when she'd confessed her feelings so for her to simply disappear like that probably didn't do her much good. She was worried for her sister's state of mind since she didn't quite have the same strength of resolve that she did. At the end of the day, they were sisters. And sisters had to stick together. They couldn't just walk away when things got difficult. So Lightning took a deep breath, put her hand on the doorknob and turned it before stepping inside.

As soon as Serah heard the sound of the door opening, she leapt up from her seat and ran towards it. She didn't bother with a greeting or with any preamble. Once Lightning was in her field of vision she ran straight for her and threw her arms around her in what might have been the biggest hug she'd even given. Lightning stumbled back a little as her sister's arms enveloped her but she reciprocated the gesture and wrapped her arms around Serah's wait before holding her tightly to her. "I'm sorry" Serah whispered. "I'm so sorry."  
"I'm sorry too" Lightning whispered. They both felt so guilty for having abandoned the other that there was nothing more they wanted to do than to just stand there holding each other but they knew they had some things to discuss. So, painful as it was, they separated and looked at each other. "I guess we should probably talk" Serah said. But Lightning was a little more concerned as she noticed how Serah was looking. "Serah" she began, the worry evident in her voice. "Have you been eating right?" Serah shrugged as it was plainly obvious she hadn't been taking care of herself since Lightning had left. "Not really, no" she answered. Lightning sighed. "It's my fault for not being here to keep an eye on you" she said as she reprimanded herself for her prolonged absence. They both made their way into the living room before sitting on the sofa side by side. "No, it's my fault Claire, it's all my fault. I ruined everything! I ruined everything and it's all my fault and I fucking hate myself!" Serah said as she escalated in her anger.  
Lightning immediately turned to look at Serah. "Don't you dare talk like that" she growled lowly before taking both of her sister's hands into hers. She wasn't referring to her use of foul language so much as her evident bout of self-loathing. "You were being true to yourself and that's nothing to apologize for" she said with deadly seriousness.  
With that little exchange, Lightning now knew that this wasn't a phase, nor was it a temporary outburst of emotion nor even a hormonal swing. Her sister did love her, truly and completely to the point where she'd started to hate herself for having driven her away. You couldn't fake that, it was impossible. With a sigh of resignation, Lightning came to accept the reality of the situation with which she had been presented. Serah did love her.  
"But I drove you away" Serah said as she looked at her sister with tear-filled eyes. The thought of never seeing her sister again had almost been enough to push her to the edge. "No, you didn't" Lightning said as she did her best to reassure her sister. "I just….needed a while to think, that's all" she said as she wrapped her hands around Serah's head before bringing her down to hold her head to her bosom. Serah sniffled as she let herself feel her sister's presence. "Claire, don't you ever do that to me again" she said, the worry in her voice as clear as day. "I won't, I swear it" Lightning said as he ran her fingers through her sister's hair in a comforting gesture. It was good to be back. She'd missed this. And Serah was glad to have her back too, glad beyond words. She honestly doubted that she had the ability to properly conceptualize and communicate to her sister just how much it meant to have her with her again so she didn't even try. She just wrapped her arms around Lightning and stayed there on the sofa. Their position was a little awkward, however, so Lightning shifted her position to lie down on the sofa with her head propped up on the armrest. Serah followed suit and promptly lay on top of Lightning with her head nuzzled comfortably in place. She inhaled deeply as she breathed in the smell of her sister, using another of her senses to reaffirm the fact that she really was back and that this wasn't just a dream. Neither of them were sure how long they stayed like that for. Eventually Lightning decided to break the silence.  
"So you really meant it then" she said, more as an affirmation than a question.  
"With all my heart" Serah said. That was a strong statement but an unequivocal one. Now, Lightning was finally beginning to fully grasp the magnitude of Serah's feelings. During this entire episode, however, there was one question that she hadn't asked, hadn't dared to ask. To do so would have been tantamount to an existential crisis. It would have forced Lightning to question her perceptions and her deepest held beliefs, to hold a mirror up to herself and undergo self-examination the likes of which she'd hitherto never contemplated. It was terrifying. As much as she would have preferred to avoid it, she had no choice. She owed it to Serah. It was the last she could do considering the emotional turmoil that she'd plunged her into by leaving like that. Lightning had to ask herself if she felt the same way about her sister.  
"Serah, I'm…..going to need some time" she said in a somewhat cryptic manner. Luckily for her, Serah understood what she meant.  
"I won't rush you" Serah answered. "But Claire, I want you to think about this. I mean really think about it. There can't be the least shred of doubt because if we…..if we do this, there's no going back."  
The implications of this entire thing were gargantuan. If Lightning really did love her sister in the same way, then it meant that everything would change, not least of all between them. Serah would have to leave Snow for starters. They'd have to conceal the true nature of their relationship from the entire world. If anybody got so much as even a whiff of what was really going on then they'd be separated and never allowed to be together again. Serah would most likely be forced out of her job and her teaching qualifications revoked. She wouldn't be allowed to work with children ever again and that was something she didn't want to think about. It brought such joy into her life that she honestly didn't know what she'd do instead. Lightning would most likely be dishonourably discharged from the GC. It was possible that Amodar might pull a few strings so that she'd only be forced to resign her commission to prevent a tarnished record but that was a big if. With the two of them out of work, they wouldn't be able to pay the bills and their home would be taken. Ostracised by their friends and demonized by the public, they'd be forced to rely on the charity of others to survive. Lightning was a proud person so Serah understood how incredibly difficult such a thing would be for her.  
They weren't under any illusions – this would be dangerous. This would be risky to the point where some on the outside looking in might call it foolhardy. But love must dare to risk, otherwise it's worthless.  
"I know there's a chance that you don't feel the same way about me and I wouldn't hold it against you. I couldn't. You're my sister after all" Serah continued. "But if nothing else, I just hope you understand why I had to do this."  
"I do Serah. I do" Lightning said as she clutched her sister a little bit closer to her in a physical gesture symbolic of her comprehension.  
So, just like that it was all on Lightning now but she knew that Serah wouldn't pressure her or pursue her until she knew her own heart. She was grateful for that. The only thing that was left now was the question: did Lightning love Serah?


	4. Resolution

**Author's Note: Sexual content in this chapter. Hopefully I've managed to do it justice. Again, please continue to review to let me know how I'm doing.  
** **Disclaimer: Final Fantasy, and all of its respective trademark property, is owned by Square Enix. I don't own a thing.**

Since Lightning's return home, the two sisters had decided that the issue of their romantic affiliation wouldn't be raised in conversation until Lightning brought it up. That way, she wouldn't feel like she was under a deadline to come to a decision nor like she was being urged to come to the 'correct' one. A small voice inside Serah had screamed at her to demand a swift resolution to this affair but she was able to quell it with the understanding that she couldn't alienate the most important person in her life by being unnecessarily overbearing. She knew that her sister didn't engage in matters of the heart with any kind of casual attitude so she couldn't expect a quick response on the issue. So as things stood, it meant being quiet and patient. She would have been lying if she said that it was easy but it was certainly better than being under the impression that she'd disappeared from her life completely. Anything was better than that.  
So, the two of them continued on as they normally did. Serah would come home and prepare dinner for the both of them and then they'd talk a little about their day before retiring for the evening. The atmosphere had become somewhat tense and they were both consciously aware of that fact but even so they didn't plan on addressing it until the time was right. Serah had taken to going out for walks to give Lightning some space to think in the house. Likewise, Lightning would go out to the movies in the evening or head out for a drive in an attempt to give Serah some peace during her deliberations.

"I must say, Serah, you're looking much better these days" came the voice of Mrs. Sanders.  
Serah smiled and nodded her head as she filled her cup with some fresh coffee in the teacher's lounge. There had been a few hushed whispers doing the rounds during her bout of desperation. Of course the grapevine was always the most active during times of crisis. Some had hypothesized that her boyfriend must have been cheating on her. Some though it might have been the death of an infrequently mentioned relative. Others said that it must have been drugs to help cope with the stress of dealing with the children but that one was quickly dismissed by the people who knew her better.  
"I'm feeling better too" Serah said with a smile as she sat down, a comfortable sigh escaping her lips. She was eating better as well, which her body was certainly grateful. There were still a few rings under her eyes but it was hardly noticeable.  
"Well dear, I'm just glad that you got it all sorted out, whatever it was" she said with a reassuring smile.  
Serah offered the woman a kindly gaze in return. As strange as it was, Serah had come to think of the lady as a sort of kindly aunt. Strange as it may have sounded considering their professional relationship, she'd always found that the women was there to offer her a kindly ear or some advice or even just to have a bit of a chat whenever she needed it.  
"That makes two of us" Serah said with a slight chuckle as she nursed her coffee. She'd missed this.  
In the back of her mind, she was still aware that things may turn not turn out the way she hoped with Lightning but either way, at least she'd have closure and that was something worth fighting for. At her lowest point she'd have completely scoffed the notion but after having worked through it, she could honestly say that she was glad that she'd told her sister about her feelings. Time would only tell about how things would end between the two of them but at least she'd gotten some peace of mind back. Speaking of which, there was some of that she needed to dish out after work too.

Later that day, Serah was sat at a table in the Nora Café with Snow opposite. The man had been wearing something of a forlorn expression on his face when he'd come to meet her which wasn't that surprising. Seeing Serah go through such a hell and knowing that he could do nothing to help alleviate it was tantamount to torture for the man. The least Serah could do was offer him some comfort.  
"Snow…." She began as she leaned forward with both elbows on the table. "I owe you an apology."  
Snow looked up at her with an expression resembling something between affection and upset.  
"I know that things have been rough lately and that I've been shutting you out and for that, I'm sorry. More than I could ever tell you" she continued with a sincere tone of voice.  
"Serah-" he tried to interrupt. She raised a hand to silence him  
"Please, don't. I know what I've done. I know it wasn't easy for you and I know it wasn't fair. Don't try to make excuses for me. I was horrible to you. I don't deny it and I am sorry."  
Snow simply closed his eyes without saying anything. To Serah, that was enough for her to understand. He could never openly blame her or criticize her for something that wasn't her fault but that didn't mean it didn't hurt him so for her to accept responsibility for what she'd done and apologize for it was a weight off of his shoulders.  
"It probably feels like I've been messing you around a lot. That's certainly how it feels for me. If you want to call it off, then I'd understand" Serah implored.  
Despite what had been happening on the home front, Serah's words weren't intended to serve an ulterior motive. She didn't want to keep him around in case things didn't pan out with Lightning. That would just be cruel and unusual. No, she genuinely felt bad about what she'd done to the man who'd loved her and stood by her through all this time with such steadfast commitment and she certainly wouldn't blame him for wanting to move on and find somebody else. It might mean ending up all alone but she'd rather do that with a clear conscience that bear the burden of more guilt.  
Snow then stood up and shifted his chair around the table so that he was sitting next to Serah. He then took her hand in his.  
"Serah, this means a lot to me. Thank you" he said with a slightly bowed head. "I'd be lying if I said I hadn't thought about it. But I don't want to jump to any conclusions or make any snap decisions. Honestly, it's been something of a rollercoaster and….and I wouldn't mind taking a little time."  
"Are you saying you don't want to be together anymore?" she asked. There was no hint of malice or resentment in her voice. It was just a simple question.  
"No" Snow answered with a shake of the head. "We've come a long way I don't want to simply walk away now because of a rough patch but I need to make sure my head's on straight y'know? I don't wanna end up resenting you because of this. That's the last thing I want" he implored. The look in his conveyed the sincerity of his words.  
"You'd have every right to" Serah conceded. These weren't exactly an ordinary situation for any given couple to be in and Serah honestly wouldn't be able to find fault with Snow wanting to walk away. After all, how many partners in a relationship suddenly turned around one day and wanted to break up because they discovered gay incestuous feelings? That would be enough to make even the most committed partner head for the door.  
"I know. I think the best thing for us now would be to just take a break. You know I wouldn't dream of seeing anybody else, I just want us to be able to move past this."  
Serah felt her eyes become misty. Even after everything she'd done to the man, even after giving him the option to take flight he still wanted to be with her. She knew he'd probably feel differently if he knew the exact circumstances of their trouble but that was a moot point since he'd never find out. As a tear managed to escape and roll down her cheek, she smiled at Snow.  
"I don't deserve you" she said as she reached out to envelop him in a hug. She never could manage to wrap her arms all of the way around his gigantic frame but she still wanted to express her appreciation for his dedication. Snow hugged her back as he bent down to kiss the top of her head.  
"Hey, that's my line" he joked with a chuckle.

Do I lover Serah? Do I love Serah? Do I love Serah? Do I love Serah? Do I love Serah?  
That was the question that had been knocking around inside of Lightning's head like a bat in a belfry for what seemed like an eternity. She'd tried to analyse her feelings from a logical perspective but that was something that had proven to be an exercise in futility. She'd tried clearing her mind of all thoughts of her sister until she saw her at the end of the day in the hope that she'd suddenly come to a grand epiphany upon seeing her. No such luck. Everything else she'd tried hadn't helped to resolve her conundrum. What she was certain of was that she couldn't live without Serah. Her sister meant the world to her and if she wasn't in it, then the world would be a desperately bleak place. She was her only family and she couldn't imagine coming home one day to find her gone without a trace - that would be like a knife in her heart, a wound she doubted she'd ever be able to recover from. Unfortunately, that only proved an emotional connection to her sibling, not a romantic one.  
She was only left with one option. It hadn't been an especially appealing one but she was running out of alternatives at alarming speed.  
Having thought about what a physical relationship with her sister would entail, Lightning had to contemplate whether or not she was prepared to make love to her.  
What had struck her first was how the notion hadn't made her react involuntarily like she did when Serah kissed her. It wasn't much to go on but it was something. Now that she had a hypothesis, she needed to either improve it or disprove it.

"See you in the morning Light" Serah said as she went upstairs to bed.  
"Night Serah" Lightning said as she saw her disappear up the stairs. Now she had to play the waiting game. Under normal circumstances she would have preferred to avoid doing this while her sister was in the house but it was a necessary part of her experiment. She had to do it while she was close. Lightning remained down in the living room for a good while longer watching nothing in particular on the television until she was reasonably confident that Serah had fallen asleep. She then switched off the set and carefully made her way upstairs to her room, doing her best to avoid making any unnecessary noises that might wake her sleeping sibling. Once she was in her room, Lightning closed the door behind her and exhaled a breath she'd been holding. This would probably classify as one of the more illicit things she'd done in the house. She then proceeded to strip out of her clothes and lie down on her bed. 'Here we go then' she thought to herself as she closed her eyes and tried to relax. It was funny how she always had trouble doing it when she actually wanted to. Or maybe it was just the thought of what larger implications this act might have. In any case, Lightning took a deep breath and started.  
She had to begin by visualizing her sister. That was simple enough. Then she had to start seeing her in a more sexual context which proved to be no small thing. Much to her chagrin, she didn't have any memories to draw on that would help. She had to start going into the realm of fantasy but try to keep it realistic. Racking her brains as she tried to think of something plausible, she eventually struck pay dirt – Serah's walking in on her in the bathroom. That would do nicely.  
Lightning took another deep breath as she brought her hand up to start caressing her exposed breast. She imagined what might have happened if Serah hadn't backed out of the bathroom but had instead come in and closed the door behind her. That would have been a very bold move. Lightning gave her nipple a light pinch to try and match the physical stimulation with her mental arousal. She then pictured Serah dropped her robe and exposing herself. That was….wrong, yet it didn't quite feel it. Bringing her other hand up to her chest, Lightning started to work both of her breasts as her breathing became a little more relaxed and she started to ease into it.  
She imagined Serah leaning into the crook of her neck and placing feather-light kisses there, her breath hot on her neck. It would have felt hot against her skin. Lightning started to slide her left hand down from her breast, passing her toned chest until it arrived at her nether region. She pictured it as Serah's hand, Serah's slim and delicate hand. She was beginning to get into it now. She was becoming aroused at the thought of her sister touching her in such a forbidden way. She would have tried to protest, tried to push her away but she wouldn't have been able to help herself.  
Lightning started to caress her outer folds and was a little surprised to find that some arousal had collected there. Serah wasn't even there and she was doing things to her. "Yes….she…does things" Lightning whispered aloud as she pictured Serah looking at her with those perfect eyes. Since when did she think her eyes were perfect? Lightning wasn't sure but it didn't dissuade her. She imagined her sister looking at her and smiling while she reached down to stroke her in her most intimate spot. "Serah…." She whispered as she placed her index finger at her entrance and began to slowly insert it inside herself. Lightning swallowed as her breathing became slightly more rapid. "No….I-I…." she struggled to get out as the image clouded her mind.  
Now Serah was bending down to take her nipple into her mouth. She was pleasing her in two spots and Lightning couldn't find it within herself to protest. Her fingers did their best to mimic the movements of Serah's imaginary tongue as Lightning's finger began to slide in and out. "B-but, we're s-sisters…." she tried to protest as her arousal only continued to mount. The words didn't have the effect that Lightning expected. As a matter of fact, they only caused her finger to become even slicker. "Yes, sisters…." She moaned as she inserted her middle finger as well. Biting her bottom lip as pleasure began to delight her body, Lightning imagined pushing Serah against the wall and kissing those soft, delicate lips and feeling her breasts. If she was going to do that sort of thing to her, she'd better be able to take it as well. As the thought of Serah's throaty growls permeated her thoughts, Lightning's nipples became fully erect. There was no doubt about it – this was really starting to turn her on.  
"S-serah…." Lightning groaned as she began to finger herself faster and faster. She imagined herself getting on her knees and pleasing her sister, desperate to hear more of those moans. She was family and only Lightning could please her the way she needed to be pleased. Yes, it was her duty and obligation to make sure that Serah enjoyed herself as much as she possibly could. The sounds of her masturbation were getting louder and louder as Lightning arched her back on the bed and emitted moans. The real Serah was just down the corridor and if she didn't keep quiet, she might hear what was going on. Then her fantasy might become reality. Lightning was pleasuring herself feverishly as she pictured her sister calling out her name and begging for sweet release under her ministrations. "Oh, fuck…" she groaned. How could something so wrong feel so right? "Because it isn't wrong….." Lightning whispered.  
She was finally acclimating to the idea. As her juices began to leak out, Lightning bit her lower lip to try and keep herself from making too much noise. She wasn't sure if she was succeeding since she was too focused on how good she was feeling to worry about much else. Serah was looking down at her with half-closed eyes, her chest heaving up and down. "Make me cum, Sergeant" she ordered. That was it. Lightning began to convulse as she came. Her hand shot up from her breast to cover her mouth as she tried to muffle her cries of ecstasy. Her orgasm was so powerful that her entire lower body was twisting left and right, her legs flailing about from how good it felt. As she rode out her orgasm, one thought became prevalent above all others in Lightning's mind – she wished that it was Serah doing these things to her, making her feel these things.  
Breathing heavily, Lightning lay there as her mind opened itself up to the newfound possibility that had availed itself to her in her post-orgasmic haze. "I want Serah" she said to her empty room.

Lightning swung her legs off the edge of her bed and went into her wardrobe to retrieve a shirt and jeans. She didn't bother with underwear. Dressing herself quickly, she opened the door and went down the hall to quickly wash her hands off. As she dried them, Lightning looked at herself in the bathroom mirror. Her face was flush and her hair was a little messed up but it wasn't just her physical side that she saw. Lightning was looking at the reflection of a different woman now, one who was prepared to go the distance with her sis…..with the woman she loved. Rather than shy away from it, she found herself embracing it. Lightning couldn't delay another minute, not when she was waiting in the next room, not when she'd been waiting patiently for so long.  
'Here we go' she thought to herself once more. Acting with the swift decisiveness befitting her character, Lightning strolled down the corridor and opened the door to Serah's room without knocking. It was dark inside. She closed the door behind her and heard the sound of bedsheets rustling. "Lightning? Is that you?" she heard her sister ask. She knew she'd be asleep but this was far too important and Lightning knew that Serah would have dropped just about anything for this.  
"Serah…" Lightning said, her voice low and urgent. "I need you to kiss me."


	5. Consumation

**Author's Note: Sorry for the delay but as you can see, this chapter is my longest so far. It's also my first time writing such explicit content so I'd be grateful for any and all feedback.  
Also, I threw in a film reference somewhere. If anybody manages to spot it, I'll give you a shout-out in the next AN.  
Disclaimer: Final Fantasy, and all of its respective trademark property s owned by Square Enix. I don't own a thing. **

Serah rubbed her eyes as her vision acclimated to the darkened environment of her room. Lightning's voice sounded distant and garbled, like she was far away. She grunted as she tried to wrap her head around what she'd just heard but it was difficult. She didn't operate well after having been woken up in the night without any warning. She tried to raise herself up onto her elbows but it was an arduous task.  
"What…what did you say?" she asked in a strained voice.  
"I said I need you to kiss me" came the reply.  
"Terrific, I'm dreaming" Serah said before she collapsed back onto her bed in a pile. She'd lost track of how many nights she'd dreamed about Lightning coming into her room and saying those exact words. Some nights she'd wake up right before their lips made contact, others after having made passionate love for hours on end. It was quintessentially vexing, like her mind was trying to make up for what her body was craving which, in turn, simply made her body crave it more. Still, even in her sleep-deprived state she knew that this was highly improbable.  
"Serah, you're not dreaming. This is real and I'm here. Now do it" said the voice once more. There was a stern tone to it, like Serah imaged her sister would sound when she was at work.

As her senses gradually returned, Serah soon began to feel that this was all very real. Just to be certain she reached over to pinch her arm. It stung. Her eyes eventually acclimated to the darkness and she was able to make out the figure of Lightning standing across from her bed by the door. She swallowed a lump.  
"Claire, you'd better not be fucking with me…" Serah warned. Her language was reflective of her mentality at that moment – she needed to be sure beyond a shadow of a doubt that this was what she wanted and that it wasn't in jest. Serah honestly didn't think she'd be able to take it if Lightning pulled back at the last second only to laugh at her.  
"I'm not going to ask again" Lightning said.  
With that, Serah swing her legs over the edge of her soft, warm bed and began to walk over to Lightning. It was a fitting metaphor – leaving the comfort and familiarity of surroundings she'd known for a long time to venture into something unknown, something dangerous and something almost terrifying. She almost had to force herself to take each step. With each pace she got closer and closer to the woman she loved and her breathing became more and more shallow. Lightning was still just standing there with her arms at her sides, almost like a statue. That certainly wasn't helping things but Serah couldn't let this pass her by. She couldn't turn around now, not after everything she'd endured to get to this point. She could just picture her future self screaming back at her through time if she didn't do as she was asked. After what seemed like an eternity and what seemed like no time at all, she stopped dead in front of Lightning to look her dead in the eyes. There wasn't much she was able to gleam from them but they weren't saying no. She slowly leaned in towards her sister, eyes closing as she did so. Then Serah kissed Lightning.

Lightning's heart had been beating at a mile a minute as she saw the figure of her dear sister crossing the room to meet her. It was like her fantasy was coming true and it was everything she dreamed it could be. She struggled to keep all of her feelings from exploding to the surface as she got nearer. Her breathing was just as shallow as Serah became very near in her field of vision. When she saw her begin to lean in, she closed her own eyes and prepared herself for what was to come.  
The kiss was short and chaste. It could almost be described as virginal. It didn't last more than a couple of seconds before Serah pulled back and opened her eyes to look at Lightning once more. Lightning found her reaction to be completely different of that when she'd first tried to kiss her. Rather than finding the notion horrendously distasteful, she found herself wanting more. There was a hint of Serah lingering on her lips and she wanted more.  
"Again" she said, her voice little more than a whisper.  
Serah nodded slowly when she heard. She closed her eyes and leaned in again once more. This time, she didn't pull away so quickly. Lightning began to move to move her lips against Serah's, feeling how soft and smooth they were against hers. Serah thought the same thing as they began to deepen the kiss. She had to fight the urge to wrap her arms around Lightning's neck and to bring her in closer. If she wanted to do so then she'd initiate. As much as the younger sibling wanted to hold her, this had to be on Lightning's terms since she was the one who'd initiated.  
'I'm kissing my sister' both of them thought. And both of them were fine with it.  
Lightning stood there revelling in the exchange. She'd never allowed herself to feel so much with another person before and while there was a part of her that found it scary, there was a much bigger part that found it wonderful and comforting and glorious to be able to do this, not least of all with the woman she loved. She had to tell her. Lightning put her hands on Serah's shoulders and pushed her back lightly to break the kiss.  
"I love you Serah" she said solemnly.  
"Do you mean it Claire? Really?" Serah asked. She could practically feel her soul beginning to elate inside of her.  
"Yes I do" Lightning answered with a nod.  
As soon as the words had been voiced, Serah immediately flung her arms around her sister and held her to her, squeezing as tightly as she possibly could. Lightning reciprocated the gesture with equal gusto. Neither of them were sure how long they stood there for but they were certain of one thing – it felt amazing to be able to be like this with their feelings finally understood, revealed and accepted.  
"I love you too Claire" Serah said. She could feel tears of joy beginning to prick at her eyes but she didn't try to fight them. They were a physical manifestation of her elation and she didn't care if Lightning saw them.  
They eventually pulled back, with Lightning giving Serah's cheek a kiss as she withdrew from the hug.

"Lightning…." Serah began, her nerves beginning to pick up again. "Do you want to….." she tailed off.  
She may not have finished the sentence but the implication was clear. Serah wanted to know if Lightning was prepared to consummate her love with her.  
"I do" Lightning answered. "But I think we should wait until the time is right. I want our first time together to be special." Serah nodded in consensus. The lustful side of her wanted to pull Lightning to the bed and take her then and there but she was able to quell it, albeit with some difficulty. Anticipation would make it all the more exciting when it finally did happen. She started to smile as she contemplated what she'd like to do for the occasions.  
"Okay, Friday night after work. We'll make an evening of it" Serah decreed. She wasn't entirely sure what but she'd come up with something romantic.  
"I'm looking forward to it" Lightning said with a smile. She gave Serah a peck on the lips before turning around to go back to her room and sleep for what was left of the night. It wouldn't do her much good to be tired for work in the morning so Serah did the same. The only difference was that this time, her dreams would be even more exciting.

"Serah, dear, you're positively glowing" Mrs. Sanders said.  
"I know. I feel like it too" she answered almost gleefully with a toothy smile that just wouldn't go away. It had been there since she and Lightning had set a date and she honestly doubted it'd go away.  
"Oh my, he hasn't popped the question has he?" she asked with a slight bump of the shoulder. Serah then turned to her with a look of open-mouthed surprise. Considering how her point of view was subjective, she hadn't really thought about how others might view her mood while things had been developing on the home front. To an onlooker, it might well have seemed like she and Snow were having relationship difficulties but after having worked through them and reaffirmed their commitment to each other, then decided to make a vow of lifelong promise to each other. The grapevine at Serah's school never stopped talking.  
"No, no, no, nothing like that" Serah corrected. She couldn't very well be going around saying that he had as a way to pass off her odd behaviour as of late. After all, if she did that then it would only be a matter of time before somebody opened their mouth to Snow and the whole thing came crashing down around her.  
"Well then, that is it?" the older woman asked with a sly grin. She may have been a valued friend and colleague but she was a devil in disguise when it came to gossip.  
"Let's just say I've got something special planned for the weekend. Mum's the word" Serah answered before miming the act of zipping her lips. Mrs. Sanders got that brief flash in her eyes before uttering a protracted sound of comprehension.  
"Ah, to be young and in love. Those were the days" Mrs. Sanders said wistfully. She was getting to that age now where the only thing she looked forward to at bedtime was some warm cocoa and a comfy pair of slippers but that didn't stop her imagination from wondering.  
"Actually, I could use your help with something on that…" Serah said before looking around to make sure nobody else in the staff room was eavesdropping - plausible deniability and all that.  
"Oh, anything I can do to help. You've been such a delight to have here with us, I feel it's the least I could do" came the answer with a warm smile and a pat on the back of the hand.  
"Well, I'd like to do something really romantic and special for it. I'm just not sure what would be the best way to go about it" Serah confided.  
"Say no more" Mrs. Sanders said with a dismissive wave. "Nobody could do romance like my generation could." Serah couldn't help but chuckle at that. If there was one thing her friend enjoyed, it was talking about the achievements of the greatest living generation. "The way to a man's heart is through his stomach but we'll get to that. First, here's what you need to do…."  
Serah found herself having to take out a pen and pad to make sure she got all of this down. There was quite a bit to remember but she knew in her heart that it would be more than worth it in the end.

"All in all Sergeant, I'm giving you a rating of 4646 on your conduct and proficiency report."  
"Understood sir."  
Lightning was in Lieutenant Amodar's office being given the given the results of her latest evaluation. Since her situation with Serah had improved, her work had as well which was reflected appropriately. Since her chat with her CO she'd done her best to get back on track and had done an admirable job of it.  
"I'm glad that we can finally close the book on this" Amodar said as he filed some papers away on his desk. He was glad to have his top soldier back on top form. He then proceeded to recline back in his chair. "Now tell me something Farron – what the hell are you still doing here?"  
"Sir?" Lightning asked with a raised eyebrow. She wasn't sure if he was referring to her still being in his office or if he was speaking in broader terms.  
"You're past due promotion. I've offered to send that letter of recommendation for officer training. Why won't you accept it?" he asked. Someone with her combat proficiency could have easily ascended through the ranks of the GC with little difficulty so her reluctance to do so was something that he was having a difficult time wrapping his head around. Lightning stiffened a little before making eye contact with Amodar.  
"Permission to speak freely sir" she requested.  
"Granted" he said before directing her to the chair opposite his desk. Lightning accepted it but with some stiffness.  
"Well, sir, the truth is that I know I could go far. However, higher ranks mean more responsibility and more work. The extra money would be nice, of course, but I was never just in this for the financial reward."  
"Your sister" Amodar said simply. He was familiar with her case file. Lightning nodded.  
"If I accepted promotion then that means I'd have to be away from Serah more and more. She means too much for me to walk away" she elaborated with a serious tone. "On top of that, it means I'd have to go career." It was Amodar's turn to nod.  
"I'd suspected something along those lines. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't pleased at the prospect of having you around. You're the best I've got" he said solemnly.  
"Thank you sir" Lightning said with a small smile.  
"That'll be all. Dismissed." She rose and gave him a salute before walking out.  
It was nice to have things back on track at work, that was for sure. As Lightning made her way out of the office building, she let herself think about her upcoming date with Serah. The very notion still sent tingles through her fingertips. Once she got off for the day, she'd be able to see what her sister had planned for the both of them.

As it turned out, Serah's plan had actually involved more work than she anticipated. She'd had to go to the store a few times after work in the preceding days to make sure that she'd gotten everything. On top of that, she had to conceal her purchases in her room in order to keep the surprise for Lightning. It meant that when she got home on Friday, she had to bring everything downstairs and get straight to work in order to be done in time for when Lightning got back. She'd been rushing about frantically making sure that everything was in position and that she hadn't neglected anything. Luckily she had her little checklist written down so she was able to tick things off as she did them.  
First, there were the candles. Strategically placing them all about the house, Serah had to make sure that nothing would catch fire since she wouldn't be able to keep an eye on them all evening.  
Next up was the music. Something romantic with a relaxed feel to it would do nicely. She didn't want to do anything to cliché so she settled on some light jazz and hooked it up to the stereo system at a comfortable level.  
The placings came next. Serah didn't get to use the nice china and cutlery very often but this was definitely an occasion that warranted them. She made up two places at the dinner table complete with folded napkins for that extra hint of class. It was the difference between eating and dining.  
As for the actual meal itself, she needed something that she could cook in a relatively short span of time that would still be delicious to eat and be distinct enough from their usual food. She also needed something that she didn't have to constantly hover so that she could attend to everything else. Luckily Mrs. Sanders had just the dishes and eve knew a few tricks to help really bring out the flavour. Hopefully Lightning would love it.  
Finally, there was Serah herself. She'd had to change out of her normal attire and into something elegant. She decided on a sexy little backless number that flowed all the way down past her knees and gave her a semblance of elegance, not forgetting the surprise underneath. That had been a little embarrassing to shop for but it was well worth it.  
In between darting from her room to the kitchen to the dining room and back several times, Serah had nearly run herself ragged but in the end she came through with flying colours. She glanced up at the clock on the kitchen wall and saw that Lightning would be getting home any minute.

Lightning's heart was fluttering in her chest as she walked up the drive towards the front door. She could scarcely contain herself as she imagined just what Serah was going to do for the both of them. It was a wonder she hadn't broken the speed limit on the way home. Slipping her key into the lock, she opened the door and was immediately struck by the music that was playing. It was nice.  
"Serah, I'm home!" she called out as she made her way into the living room. What she saw took her breath away. The room was bathed in the dimly-lit glow of candles scattered all about the place. "Wow…" she uttered. She had no idea their home could look like that. Sensing movement out of the corner of her eye, she looked over to see Serah. She was leaning against the doorframe wearing a beautiful magenta dress and a smile on her face.  
"Hey" Serah greeted softly.  
"Wow….." Lightning uttered again. She had no idea her sister could look so gorgeous. Her hair was done up beautifully and her make-up was perfect. Serah chuckled lightly.  
"You like what you see Claire?" she asked with a very gentle tease.  
"You didn't have to go to so much trouble" Lightning was with a gesture around the room.  
"I know. I just wanted to" Serah reassured as she approached her sister. "Besides, you haven't seen the best parts yet" she said before going to plant a gentle kiss on Lightning's lips. "Now, why don't you go upstairs and get changed into something more comfortable while I get things ready down here?" Lightning returned the kiss and gave her a small nod.  
"Sure thing" she said as she went upstairs to her room. Stripping off her GC uniform, she looked through her wardrobe for something suitable for their date. Normally she'd just change into jeans and a t-shirt but that wasn't an option. Then she came across the black dress she'd worn some time ago to a formal dinner. It was perfect, if a little dated. Still, Serah had told her how wonderful it made her look at the time so she decided it would be ideal. Putting on underwear, she then dressed herself in the outfit before taking some time to do herself up. She normally never bothered to such a degree but this was a special occasion. She gave herself a once-over in the mirror and decided she was happy with it.

Lightning then made her way downstairs and heard the sound of rattling coming from the dining room. Furrowing her brow slightly, she went to go and investigate the source of the noise. What she saw took her breath away. There, on the table, was the most exquisite set-up for a candlelight dinner.  
"Oh, now you're showing off" Lightning said with a smirk.  
"Just for you Claire" Serah answered honestly as she went to pull out Lightning's seat for her. The elder sibling felt like she was being treated to a five star experience, not that she minded. It was extremely rare that she was ever pampered like this which made it all the more special. As she took her seat, Serah spoke.  
"You wait right here and I'll be back with our first course" she said before heading off. "And you're not allowed in the kitchen" she called out behind her. That made Lightning smile. She knew her so well. After having settled into her seat, Serah emerged with their starter – minted pea soup.  
"Smells lovely" Lightning complimented as it was set in front of her.  
"Thanks. I got the recipe from a friend" Serah said before taking her seat opposite her sister. "Wine?" she asked as she raised a bottle. Lightning nodded and offered her glass. Once she'd finished pouring, Serah raised hers up in a toast. "To us" she said.  
"To us" Lightning mimicked before clinking glass with her sister and taking a sip. Serah unfurled her napkin into her lap and began to tuck into her soup. "So how was your day?" she asked pleasantly.  
"Good. I scored a 4646 on my latest evaluation. And you?"  
"Congratulations. Nothing so exciting for me but some of the kids noticed I was practically floating today."  
"I couldn't imagine why" Lightning responded with a smirk. Serah responded in kind as she continued to eat. Once she'd polished off her bowl she waited for Lightning to do the same before getting up to take them both away. Lightning sipped on her wine as she waited for the next course. As she saw Serah came in she found herself licking her lips in anticipation.  
"Filet mignon with a side of potatoes and spinach" Serah said.  
"Looks absolutely delicious" Lightning said. She took a bite and moaned - medium rare, just how she liked it. Serah blushed lightly as she imagined Lightning making more of those noises later on. "And I thought you were a great cook before" the elder Farron complimented.  
"I added a few extra spices and a pinch of basil. Really brings out the flavour" Serah said as she joined her sister in eating. She was equally skilled in the art of sizing their portions so that neither of them would get too full as the meal progressed. It was the little things.  
They ate in silence for a few minutes with the sounds of cutlery clinking against their plates accompany the soothing background music. If Lightning had to sum all of this up in one word, it would be perfection.  
"I can't remember the last time I ate this well. They certainly don't feed us like this on-base" Lightning said.  
"If you ate like this all the time, it wouldn't be special" Serah commented.  
"True."  
Once they'd finished their main, Serah disappeared with their plates once again. Lightning was really enjoying this. It was absolutely lovely and that wasn't a word she used to describe things with very often. Re-emerging once more, Serah had two plates with lemon cheesecake for each of them, low in fat of course.  
"Now you're just spoiling me" Lightning said.  
"Implying that you aren't worth spoiling" Serah retorted. It was true – Lightning never took much time out for herself. Well, that was going to change now that the two of them were going to be together. Considering the magnitude of effort it had taken for the both of them to reach this point, it wasn't an exaggeration to say that both of them planned to make every day together as special as they possibly could, even if was just as simple as holding each other in their arms.  
As they made their way through desert, Lightning and Serah traded fleeting moments of eye contact with each other, not saying anything. They both knew what was coming after this and the anticipation was palpable. They were like a pair of love-sick teenagers on their first date that couldn't wait to get their hands on each other. As much as that was true in Serah's case, she wasn't going to just leap across the table and throw herself at Lightning since that would spoil the atmosphere she'd worked so hard to create. Neither of them wanted to spoil the romance of the evening.  
Once she'd finished her cheesecake, Lightning set down her fork and exhaled a contented sigh as she leaned back in her seat.  
"That was absolutely delicious. I honestly don't think I could handle another bite" she said earnestly.  
"Don't go falling asleep on me just yet" Serah said with a wink as she got up to take their plates away for the third and final time. Her heart was fluttering as she returned to the kitchen to leave them in the sink before going back to meet Lightning. She glided gracefully over to her sister's side and smiled softly before simply holding her hand out to her. Lightning took it and rose before she followed behind.

Serah then led Lightning to the living room where she'd earlier moved the coffee table to one side in order to create some floor space for the two of them to move around. She then did an about face before she wrapped her arms around Lightning's waist and began to gently sway her hips from side to side in time with the ambient music. It took a moment for Lightning to realize where Serah was going with this but she soon caught on and enfolded her sister in her arms to begin dancing with her. Before long she felt the weight of Serah's head on her shoulder and she welcomed it, like it had always meant to be there.  
A romantic three-course dinner with all the trimmings followed by dancing to candle-lit music. If somebody from the future had told Lightning a few months ago that she'd be doing this with Serah she would have laughed them out of the room but now it seemed like the most normal and natural thing in the world.  
Neither of them said anything for want of not spoiling the mood. They just wanted to enjoy this in sheer bliss.  
Serah could smell perfume coming from her older sister. It was fragrant but not overpoweringly so. Lightning could smell the same on Serah but with a subtle difference, as different as she was from her. The sisters weren't sure how long they stood there dancing but they didn't want to look at any clocks or watches. It would have been an untimely reminder of how quickly time could dissipate.

Serah eventually brought her head up to look at Lightning. Smiling and without saying a word, she leaned in to kiss her. It felt amazing, like the kiss of her dreams. Lightning kissed her back, holding Serah close to her as their lips glided over one another. As their contact prolonged, the kiss became deeper. For the first time, Lightning edged her tongue out to explore the mouth of her sister as she sought to learn the taste. Serah accommodated her enthusiastically, meeting her tongue with her own as they duelled inside of her mouth. It was completely different to anything she'd ever felt before with a softness hitherto unexperienced. It was like they were dancing in unison both inside and outside. With the sound of lips smacking and saliva being exchanged, Serah felt her desires and her passion mounting. It was finally here, the moment they'd both dreamed of. As much as they wanted to continue, their mutual need for air demanded their separation. Serah looked breathlessly into Lightning's eyes before simply whispering "My room."

Lightning didn't need telling twice. She took the lead this time and led them upstairs. When she opened the door to Serah's room, she was greeted with yet more candlelight and the sight of rose petals scattered about the floor in a trail leading to her bed. As Serah closed the door behind them, she felt her sister's hands against both of her shoulders as she was pressed against the wall before being kissed again.  
This time the kiss was more passionate, laced with hunger, want, need, desire. She was more than willing to reciprocate.  
The sisters were finally unleashing their lust for each other and it was readily apparent as their hands began to slide over each other's bodies, their hunger for each other intensifying. Serah was eventually able to drag the both of them over to the bed while not breaking contact for a second. In a surprising moment of aggression, Serah shoved Lightning backwards onto the bed. Lightning looked up at her with an expression of surprise but also one of heightened arousal. She hadn't expected that but it had turned on her. Serah then proceeded to crawl on top of Lightning and start kissing her again. Lightning wasn't usually one for being submissive but with her sister, she felt like she could open up and explore new parts of herself, parts that she'd never dared to before.

Serah then proceeded to shift her weight onto her left hand before bringing the right up and placing it atop Lightning's clothed breast. It felt better than she ever could have imagined. She then let it slide slowly down the satin fabric of her dress until it was approaching her nether region. Lightning didn't try to fight it and even went so far as to open her legs to allow Serah to explore while she brought her own hand up to cup Serah's cheek.  
Finding that she wanted more, Serah moved her hand lower to caress Lightning's inner thigh before bringing it up inside of her dress. She could feel Lightning's breathing deepen as it edged closer and closer to her most intimate of spots. Serah's fingers were tingling as they finally touched upon the fabric of Lightning's underwear. She could practically feel the heat that was emanating from there.  
"Serah…." Lightning moaned into the kiss.  
The younger Farron then broke the kiss before bringing herself up to sit on her knees while straddling Lightning's waist. She then slid the straps off of her dress and let it fall down to her waist to expose the material of her bra to Lightning. It was a sexy black number with lace trim that she'd bought especially for tonight just for Lightning to see. She could see that her gaze was transfixed on her chest so she placed one of her hands atop Lightning's before guiding it to touch her there and to feel the material. Lightning brought her other hand up to join it as she felt her younger sister's breasts.  
"You wanna see 'em?" Serah asked hotly.  
"Yeah" Lightning answered as she nodded her head.

Serah reached around her back to unclip the hooks of her bra. Once all three were free, she removed the garment and tossed it away to the side, revealing her bosom to Lightning who immediately brought herself up and started nibbling at Serah's neck. She moaned as she felt her sister's hot breath against her skin and her teeth making little marks there. Lightning began to kiss a trail down until she found herself face-to-face with Serah left breast. She kissed out the edges of her nipple before proceeding to take it into her mouth. Serah leaned her head back and moaned as she brought her hand up to hold the back of Lightning's head while she pleased her there with her hot mouth.  
Lightning alternated her technique, occasionally sucking and giving it light nibbles before flicking the top of it with the tip of her tongue. She took Serah's moans as indication that she was doing a good job. Lightning then switched over to Serah's right breast and did more of the same while lightly pinching the spot she'd just been in order to keep up the stimulation there. She could feel that Serah was squirming a little bit on top of her.

Serah then reached down and grabbed the edges of her dressed that had collected around her waist and tugged downwards to slide it off of her. This forced Lightning to break contact while Serah wiggled it down past her thighs and then her knees before sliding it off of her feet along with her shoes.  
Clad only in her panties, Serah offered her chest to Lightning once more who enthusiastically resumed her prior activities. It was so gratifying to her that she was finally able to please Serah in the way that she'd wanted to for so long. Coating her breasts in her warm saliva, Lightning's hands began to travel again as they eventually settled on Serah's backside. Oh, how she'd dreamed of getting her hands on those soft, round cheeks. They felt as sumptuous as she'd always imagined them to.  
Serah put one of her hands on top of Lightning's again and encouraged her to squeeze, to make sure she got a good feel of her ass. After all of this waiting she didn't want a single inch of her body to go unexplored by Lightning. As far as she was concerned, it was all Lightning's.

Lightning found her own clothes becoming very constrictive. Without even making a conscious decision to do it, she mimicked Serah's earlier aggression by pushing all of her body weight up and to the right to put the two of them into a spin. With poise and control, she was able to land on top of Serah who simply looked at her with an expression of excitement.  
Lightning then bit her lower lip as she made eye contact with Serah and very slowly began to slide down her body. She eventually brought herself back far enough that she was able to stand at the foot of Serah's bed. As she continued to make her sexy expression, Lightning began to remove her own dress. Once again she found herself fighting the urge to simply rip it off because more than that, she wanted to give Serah a show, to make the reveal as scintillating as she possibly could.  
She lowered the outfit inch by inch to reveal even more of her body to her sister. Serah noted that Lightning's undergarments matched the colour of her hair. Coordination like that was one of the small signs of attention to detail which the younger Farron found to be incredibly sexy.  
As she kicked it off onto the pile of discarded clothes, Lightning remained upright as she began to take off her bra. It seemed like an eternity of anticipation to Serah as she was finally about to behold her nudity. Now she knew how Lightning must have felt a short while ago. When she took it off, Serah's face became flushed as her breathing became more rapid. Lightning's breasts weren't quite as large as Serah's but they were every bit as sumptuous.  
Serah wanted to ravage her but Lightning wasn't done with her little exposé just yet. She hooked her thumbs into the edges of her panties and very slowly began to tug them down. In an audacious display of sexuality, Lightning turned around and gave Serah a view of her exposed backside as she pulled them down. She even went so far as to wiggle her bum a little for added effect. Once they were off, Lightning rubbed her hands over the sides of her body as she looked down at Serah.  
"You're gorgeous Claire. You're absolutely amazing" Serah said as she lavished her older sister with praise.  
"Look who's talking…." Lightning retorted as she lowered herself back onto Serah to resume kissing her.  
Serah didn't need any encouragement from Lightning as she shifted her hands to caress her sister's ass with gusto. It was so soft. She then brought them up to squeeze her breasts. They were so similar to her own yet felt so different. Lightning permitted Serah's exploration of her naked body as she slid her tongue into her mouth once more, eager to taste her some more. Then Lightning decided that she wanted to taste all of her.  
"Take your panties off" Lightning said in between kisses.  
Serah complied as she wriggled out of the offending article. The Farron sisters were now naked with each other and loving it.

Lightning kissed her way down Serah's body until she found herself at eye level with her vagina. She swallowed as she kissed at her inner thighs.  
"Claire…..please…." Serah practically begged.  
Lightning slowly extended her tongue before taking a tentative lick. Serah shuddered in response as she felt her sister's tongue at her most sensitive area. It was like a surge of electricity was coursing through her entire body. Lightning repeated the motion, wanting to go at a slow pace so that Serah could acclimate to the sensation. After a little bit, she became bolder as her licking became more protracted and invasive. Serah was breathing heavily and clutching her arms to her chest as she experienced her sister pleasing her orally. It was magnificent. Lightning began to kiss at her sensitive folds, running the tip of her tongue around the edges of her labia before bring it in towards the centre.  
She then began to lick the tip of Serah's clit, making her squeal in delight.  
"Don't stop….." Serah moaned.  
Lightning had no intention of stopping. She brought her hand up to help spread Serah's pussy apart before beginning to worm her tongue inside of her. The taste was unlike anything she could have imagined. It was like the nectar of the gods and she eagerly and hungrily drank up everything that she could. By this stage, Serah had clutched onto the back of Lightning's head to bring her in as close as possible. Lightning felt the pressure of Serah's thighs constricting around her head but that only encouraged her to redouble her efforts in her attempt to please her sister the way she deserved.  
"Claire, I'm gonna…..I'm gonna cum" Serah squealed as she started thrashing about the place. Lightning's tongue was working absolute wonders on her. It was unlike anything she'd ever had before and it made everything else seem inferior by compassion. As she felt the hot, wet organ moving around inside of her Serah could only gasp and moan in delight. She didn't even try to hide the sounds that she was making. Rather, she enjoyed making them as a kind of declaration of all the things that her sister was making them feel.

Lightning had to loop her arms underneath Serah's thighs and hold onto them in order to keep her steady as she continued to eat her out. Serah couldn't hold back anymore. Being like this with Lightning, finally consummating their relationship, being pleasured just like in her dreams – it was the culmination of so much time and so many feelings that when she finally came, it was more than just a physical reaction. It was a complete response to everything that had happened between them.  
"Claire! Oh, fuck!" Serah shouted as she came.  
Serah arched her back and pushed her chest high into the air as she squeezed Lightning's head, riding out her orgasm in all of its intensity. She began to see spots at the edges of her vision as her sister sent waves of pleasure throughout her. She'd never felt this way before in her life.  
Lightning didn't try to pull away or to free herself as Serah climaxed from her ministrations. Instead she opened her mouth wide to receive the liquid love that Serah spilled forth. She swallowed everything that Serah had to give her and was happy to do it. Serah stuffed her knuckles into her mouth and bit down hard to stop from screaming the entire house down, which Lightning thought was incredibly hot and testament to how good of a job she did.

Serah eventually collapsed into a pile on her bed as she panted heavily, trying to recover from what may have been the most powerful orgasm of her entire life. She glanced down and saw Lightning smiling up at her from between her legs. Serah then reached down and grabbed Lightning's head, pulling her up to kiss her. As their tongues met one more, Serah could taste herself on her sister's tongue. It made her want to return the gesture even more than she already did.  
"Lie down on your back Claire" she said. It wasn't a request.  
"Yes ma'am" Lightning responded before doing as she was told. Being ordered like that by Serah was a real turn-on. If she was wet before, she was positively dripping arousal now.

Serah was more direct in her approach, going straight for Lightning's pussy. After thinking about it for so long, she didn't want to waste another second. She immediately buried her face in Lightning's crotch and started to eat.  
Lightning gasped as soon as she felt Serah's tongue at her. She was so bold. Serah threw caution to the wind in her attempts to make her big sister feel just the way she did. Lightning started to pinch her nipples when she felt Serah eagerly lapping away at her.  
"Fuck…..Serah, that feels so good" Lightning moaned as she felt herself trying to get as much contact as possible.  
Serah then paused briefly to poke her head up and look at Lightning, who gave her a somewhat confused expression. Serah then slowly raised her hand up for dramatic effect before extending a finger. She sucked on it gratuitously for Lightning's viewing pleasure. She then placed the tip at her entrance before slowly pushing her way inside. Lightning groaned as she felt her finger begin to push inside of her, stretching her walls and giving her pleasure. Serah then leaned back in again and started to gently caress Lightning's clit with her tongue. Once she was struck by the dual stimulation, Lightning threw her had back onto the bed and groaned even louder.  
"Fuuuuuuck….." she exhaled in delight.  
Being encouraged by her responses, Serah began to push her finger in and out of Lightning, slowly at first but increasing her speed as she felt her digit becoming lubricated by Lightning's fluids and her own saliva. She'd also started spelling out the alphabet with her tongue as well to try and coax more sounds from Lightning. She'd never heard her sister being this vocal, this throaty before in her life. Did she always make this much noise when she masturbated? Serah doubted it since she'd never heard anything of the kind coming from down the hall. That led her to conclude that it must have been even better for Lightning when she was doing it. That made her bury her face in deeper as she did her utmost to get Lightning off.

She didn't have to wait long. Lightning was writhing about on the bed in pleasure as her breathing deepened. Rather than trying to pin her down Serah wanted her to move about and make as much noise as possible. It was physical validation that she was succeeding.  
"Oh fuck, oh shit, Serah!" Lightning screamed out at the top of her lungs.  
Serah could feel Lightning's interior walls clenching down around her finger as she revelled in the sights and sounds of her sister's orgasm. It was like eye candy for her and her juices tasted just as sweet.  
Lightning copied Serah and pulled her up to kiss her with fervent passion, desperate to show her how much that meant to her. Serah stuck her tongue down the back of Lightning's throat and rubbed her hands all over her still-quivering body, delighted beyond description that they'd finally done this.  
As they separated breathlessly, Serah smirked before showing Lightning the finger that she'd just used to please her. She then began to lick on it in a show of just how much she loved the taste, moaning as she sucked off the accumulated fluids. She then offered it to Lightning who accepted it without question and tasted herself on Serah's finger.  
"I love you. I love you so fucking much Claire" Serah said huskily.  
"I love you too Serah" Lightning said before leaning in to kiss her again. She honestly never thought she'd get bored of that.

The two sisters then lay down to rest a little while after their heated exchange of passion. Serah nestled her head in the valley of Lightning's breasts, listening to her heartbeat as she wore a contented smile on her face. Lightning looked down at her with an expression of contented bliss and complete affection as she stroked the top of her head. It was like she belonged there, in her arms. It was like she'd always belonged there and that she just hadn't seen it until now. Serah then shifted her head to look up at Lightning.  
"Just so you know, I'm not done with you yet. Not by a damn sight" Serah said with a grin.  
"I'd have been disappointed if you were" Lightning retorted before kissing her again.

Serah then sat up and moved around until she was sitting opposite Lightning on the other end of the bed. She then positioned her left leg above Lightning's right and her right below her sister's left. With a look of realization dawning on Lightning's face, they both came closer until they made contact. They were both still sensitive from having cum just a short while ago. Serah leaned back onto her palms to give herself more balance while Lightning reached out to grab Serah's thighs for support. Then they started to grind.  
Since it was their first time doing this together, their pace was a little clumsy at first as they tried to get a rhythm going. Serah was more frantic whereas Lightning was trying to get a regular motion going. It took a little while for the two of them to get used to it but they eventually got settled as they grind their pussies together.  
"Don't you stop Claire, don't you dare fucking stop" Serah said as she felt herself getting hotter and hotter.  
"Yes ma'am" Lightning repeated once more.

For both of them, seeing the other naked and rocking back and forth was almost as pleasurable as the actual act of their grinding. They could feel themselves moistening as their hips bumped against in other in the throes of their lovemaking. They both started to pant as the sweat glistened on their bodies. They started moving faster and faster to try and get the other off as they made eye contact with each other.  
Lightning threw her head back and moaned, the sound echoing throughout the room as Serah pushed even harder into her. Serah's boobs bounced up and down as she rubbed her pussy up and down against Lightning's. Lightning reached out to squeeze them roughly before she grabbed the back of Serah's head and pulled her in for a kiss, wanting to taste her more.  
"You're getting me so wet Serah" Lightning said hotly before she leaned back to press into her even harder.  
Serah looked down to see a trail of liquid connecting the two of them as they bumped back and forth.  
"That's so fucking hot Claire" Serah moaned with half-closed eyes.  
She then alternated direction, moving from side to side instead of up and down. Lightning kept up with her, loving the change in stimulation.  
"You gonna cum for me Serah?" Lightning asked as she squeezed her little sister's tits again.  
"Uh-huh, yeah I'm gonna cum" Serah said as she nodded rapidly. "Cum with me Claire" she urged, her voice laced with need.

The sisters started to cum together. Their bodies both shook as their pussies became soaked with their combined juices. Serah squealed in delight as she fell backwards, her arms unable to support her weight as it felt like her whole body was turning into mush. Lightning held on for dear life as she rode out every single wave of her orgasm close to Serah, loving how incredible her sister made her feel. It was unlike anything she'd ever felt in her life before and she adored it. Her brain was unable to function properly, overwhelmed with how good it felt.  
Both of them eventually just lay there panting hard. Serah's bedding was thoroughly soaked.

Managing to get back some semblance of strength, Serah dragged herself over to Lightning, muttering the words "Love you" over and over again. Lightning held her sister tightly as they both lay there in post-orgasmic delight.  
There was so much for them to say to each other but by this point they'd both become heavily fatigued from their exertions. Before she passed out, Lightning reached down to grab the edge of Serah's blanket and pulled it up to cover both of them. Serah wrapped her arms around Lightning and nestled into her snugly as she finally succumbed to her need for rest. Lightning followed suit shortly after. Before they fell asleep, there was just one thought that permeated both of their minds.  
'This is perfect.'


	6. Conclusion

**Author's Note: I hope I managed to d justice to this chapter. Please, continue to review.  
** **Disclaimer: Final Fantasy, and all of its respective trademark property, is owned by Square Enix. I don't own a thing.**

Serah grunted as she felt the rays of morning sunlight beating down through her window and hitting her face. Rubbing her eyes, she eventually opened them to the blurry sight of her room. Before long, her vision regained focus and she started to rouse. She was struck by the odd scent that was pervading her nostrils. It was like a weak burning smell except nothing was on fire. She sniffed a few times before trying to figure out what it was. Then she smiled as she remembered – the candles must have burned out while she was asleep.  
Her brain began to resume functioning as she remembered exactly how the night had ended. She felt the warmth of Lightning's skin beneath her cheek. Serah glanced up to see her still-dozing face. Her arms were still wrapped around her and she instinctively gave her a little squeeze to bring her in tighter.  
Serah began to recall in vivid detail everything that had happened, from the sweat that had been practically dripping from her as her cries sounded out and the intense emotions she felt as she made love to her sister, to say nothing of the powerful orgasms that had soaked her sheets. She sighed as she remembered every single detail of it. Now, here she was, waking up next to Lightning in a state of undressed adoration and unconditional affection.  
She wasn't sure what time it was and she wasn't inclined to move an inch at the moment. She just wanted to lie there with Lightning.

Eventually, Lightning began to wake as well. It was Saturday morning so it meant that she didn't have work and could afford to sleep in. She stretched herself out before smacking her lips several times. Lightning then felt Serah's rest resting on her chest and glanced down to see her smiling up at her.  
"Hey, you" Lightning greeted in a soft voice.  
"Hey yourself" Serah answered before she leaned up to plant a kiss on her lips.  
The two of them lay there in each other's arms, just loving the fact that they could be together like this. Little moments of shared contact like this could be just as special and meaningful to them as their heated exchanges of passion. Lightning brought her hand up to idly stroke the top of Serah head as she lay there in her bead. Serah emitted a soft sound, something between a coo and a moan. Up until yesterday, her sister had never been so affectionate with her. It was nice. That word didn't begin to do it justice but it was the only description that she could think of.

There were things on each of their minds - questions, compliments, utterances and proclamations but as soon as they appeared they appeared, they vanished. They were like will o' wisps inside their heads. They were each far more interested in holding each other. Unfortunately, Serah's stomach had other ideas as it emitted a loud grumble.  
"Hungry?" Lightning asked with a grin.  
"It's not my fault" Serah retorted. "Somebody gave me an appetite after last night."  
"I guess we should probably get up then" Lightning said as she began to pull the covers off of herself.  
"I guess…." Serah conceded with a sigh. As she began to move, she felt the dried remains of last night on her inner thighs. "I could use a shower first though."  
"That makes two of us" Lightning said as she stood up and stretched her arms up over her head. "Join me?"  
That made Serah blush a little.  
"Since when did you like to share?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.  
"Since I found out that I enjoy being intimate with my sister" Lightning answered simply.  
"That makes two of us" Serah echoed with a chuckle. She then got up and started to tidy away the clothes that she'd discarded in haste earlier. In fact, she was going to have to do quite a bit of tidying up today. It didn't matter to her since it had been more than worth it.

Lightning collected her own clothes up and headed to her room to hang up her dress and put away her underwear. She then went to the bathroom and switched on the shower, making sure to leave the door open behind her as an invitation. Sure enough, Serah joined her a couple of minutes later.  
"You know, we haven't done this since we were kids" Serah said idly as she stepped underneath the water flow and wetted her hair.  
"Seems like a lifetime ago some days" Lightning observed as she retrieved a bottle of shampoo from the shelf before undoing the cap and pouring some into her hands as she lathered up her hair.  
"Yeah. Things were a lot less complicated back then" Serah commented. Lightning nodded.

The two of them stood there going about their routine until Serah handed the flannel to Lightning.  
"Could you do me a favour and get my back?" she asked.  
Lightning took it and began to scrub away.  
"I suppose one good thing about this is now we can reach places we couldn't before" Serah said.  
"You're certainly right about that" Lightning said before she reached down to give Serah's right butt cheek a firm squeeze.  
"You are absolutely incorrigible today" Serah said with a smirk.  
"It's not my fault you're so sexy" Lightning retorted.

Serah turned around and grabbed Lightning by the hips and pulled her in close for a kiss, making their breasts press against each other. Serah extended her tongue to meet Lightning's once more as she drank in her sister's taste. She certainly wouldn't have minded making this a part of their morning routine. She brought her own hand around to feel Lightning's butt in the same way before she placed her other hand between her legs and started to stroke. That made Lightning emit a groan.  
Lightning did the same thing to Serah, loving the fact that they were both finally free to touch each other in this way whenever they wanted. It was so liberating. As they continued to kiss, Serah slipped a finger inside of Lightning and began to pump it in and out. Not a few moments later, she found the same thing being done to her which made her gasp in pleasure as she continued to make out with her sister in the shower. At least they wouldn't have to worry about cleaning themselves off in here.  
Their fingers moved faster as the kiss became deeper. Each of the sisters wanted to make the other feel as good as possible so it was with that in mind that they did their best. Before long, they both began to feel the sensation of the other's walls tightening around their digits as they began to cum. They moaned into each other's mouths as they rode out their orgasms. Both of them then separated breathlessly as they looked into the other's eyes.  
"You feel so fucking amazing Claire" Serah said hotly.  
"God I love you Serah" Lightning replied before kissing her again.

The water was beginning to run cold now so Serah switched off the tap and stepped out. She then grabbed a towel from the radiator and handed another one off to Lightning before she started to dry herself off. Her fingers were wrinkly from being under the water for so long. Not that she minded, though.  
Once she was towelled off, she looked over to Lightning who was just finishing off her hair.  
"You know, I don't think I'll ever get tired of looking at that sexy body of yours" she observed off-handedly.  
"That's my line" Lightning countered with a smile.  
"Well, I'm gonna get dressed and make a start on breakfast. I'll see you downstairs" Serah said as she made her way out of the bathroom. She gave her hips a wiggle on the way out as a bit of a show for Lightning.  
Serah dressed herself in a pair of tight-fitting black trousers and a matching shirt. The weather looked like it was going to be good today and she wanted to soak in as much of it as she could. She then went downstairs into the kitchen.  
First things first, she emptied the dishwasher of last night's crockery and utensils before tidying them all away in their correct spot. She didn't like mixing the good china with their regular dishes. Lightning always said she could get a little over-protective of her kitchen at time but Serah was always fond of keeping things organized like that.

She took a look around the kitchen before tapping her finger to her chin, wondering what to cook for the both of them. Cereal was far too plain but a full breakfast might have been a little excessive. Something that covered all the nutritional bases sounded like a good idea. First and foremost, they needed coffee. Lightning always had hers plain but Serah liked sugar in hers. Lightning always used to joke that she was sweet enough without it already.  
It was pretty hard to go wrong with bacon and scrambled eggs. Brown toast would be good for complex carbs. Nodding to herself, Serah set about it. She was hungry and suspected Lightning was too so decided to err on the side of caution and make an excessive amount. Better too much than too little.

Lightning soon came wandering downstairs while Serah was busy stirring the eggs and checking to make sure she didn't overcook the bacon. Crispy was nice but it still needed some tenderness, otherwise it just became a chore to chew through. She felt a pair of arms wrap around her waist before a pair of lips were pressed against her neck. Serah rubbed the back of her sister's arm.  
"You know, you seem different today Claire" Serah said, making idle conversation as the eggs neared completion.  
"In what regard?" Lightning asked, seeking clarification while she sat down and took a sip of her coffee. Man, that was good.  
"I'm not really sure what the right word is. You just seem more….I dunno, touchy-feely or love-dovey, whatever the phrase is" Serah said as she tried to pin a label on exactly what it was.  
"You mean, you're not used to seeing me so tender, right?" Lightning asked.  
"Yeah, I guess that sounds about right" Serah said as she started to spoon out the eggs onto their two plates before going to butter their toast.  
"To be fair, you've never seen me in the immediate aftermath of sex either" Lightning noted.  
"Not until today, no" Serah agreed as she finished assembling the food and proceeded to bring it over for the both of them to sit down and enjoy.  
"Well, there you have it then" Lightning said as she took a fork in-hand and started to eat.

They ate in silence, making their way through the food quickly. They really had worked up an appetite. Serah had initially thought that she'd made too much but it seemed like she'd misjudged on that front. As the sounds of knives and forks clanking on plates reverberated through the room, the sisters traded occasional glances. They soon both finished and sat there digesting their food before deciding to speak.

"You know, it's not as awkward as I thought it would be" Lightning observed.  
"I'd be lying if I didn't say I thought it might be as well" Serah agreed. "But all things considered, it could be worse."  
"So….." Lightning began as she took another sip of coffee. "You know we have to address the elephant, right?" she asked with very slight hesitation in her voice.  
"Yeah, I know" Serah said as she nodded her head behind her mug.  
"They can't know" Lightning said plainly.

It was only three little words but the implication behind them was brobdingnagian in magnitude. It went without saying that if anybody discovered the true nature of their relationship then they'd be forced out of their jobs which would be a tremendous blow. Add to that the fact that they'd probably be forced apart and unable to see each other, it would mean no longer being able to live together in their family home. That was something neither of them wanted to even contemplate. It was one of the only tangible links they had left to their parents. They grew up in this house together; it was like a part of their family, strange as it may have sounded.

"I know" Serah said plainly. "We'll have to be…..discreet."  
"Well, that shouldn't prove too difficult since we rarely see each other outside of evening and weekends" Lightning said as she thought out the logistics in her head.  
That was true enough. Their professions didn't overlap and short of personal emergencies they never had to see each other so that was convenient.  
"And we going to talk about…..him?" Serah asked with no small degree of trepidation.  
"I was going to wait until you brought him up" Lightning said.

He was something that neither of them had thought about for an instant last night. There was a small part of Serah that knew she should have felt guilty for it but that the fact that there wasn't only served to re-enforce the fact that she'd soon have to do what needed to be done.

"I'll do it today" Serah said as she set her mug down on the table.  
"Serah" Lightning said softly as she reached over to place her hand atop her sister's. "You know the last thing I would ever to is pressure you about something like this."  
"No, its….it's alright. I've known it for some time. Now I just have to do the right thing" Serah said, offering Lightning a small smile before entwining her fingers with hers.  
"You know, I'd offer to be there if I could but….." Lightning said before trailing off.  
"I know, you can't…..we can't…like that, in public. I get it" Serah said with a slight nod.  
"I'm sorry" Lightning offered.  
"Don't be. I'm not. We both knew this would happen eventually. I'm not afraid. If this is a price I have to pay so that I can be with you in the way I want and love the way the way I feel, I pay it gladly" Serah said with another smile.  
"I love you Serah" Lightning said before getting up from her seat and walking around to bend down a place a kiss on Serah's lips.  
"I love you too" Serah said as she returned the kiss. "I suppose I should get this place all tidied up and then make the call."  
"I'll give you a hand" Lightning said.  
"You don't have to. Technically, it's all my mess" Serah said.  
"Many hands make Light work" Lightning said with a slight chuckle. Serah gave her a shove.  
"That was terrible" she said with a grin.

Less than an hour later the two of them had tidied up the entire house and had it looking spic and span. Those petals in Serah's room had been a real nightmare until Lightning had the idea of just getting the vacuum cleaner on them. With rubbish bags out and laundry in the wash, they both sat down on the living room sofa and put their feet up on the coffee table. Lightning didn't normally spend hr weekends doing housekeeping but seeing as it was something she'd directly benefitted from, it seemed like the right thing to do.  
"You know, I think I'm starting to see why you enjoy keeping house so much" Lightning said.  
"There is a certain satisfaction to it, I must say" Serah agreed.  
Then she reached into her pocket and fished for her phone before pulling it open. She then scrolled through her contacts list before finding the name she was looking for. With a sigh, she hit the call button and held the device against her ear.  
"You can do this" Lightning said before giving her hand a squeeze.

Far sooner than she would have liked, Serah heard the tell-tale sound of him picking up the phone.  
"Hey Serah, how's it going babe?" she heard through the receiver.  
"Hey Snow" she greeted. He sounded happy to hear the sound of her voice which just made it all the more painful when Serah thought about how she was going to bring his whole world down. "Listen, are you free to get together?"  
"Sure. When were you thinking of?" he asked.  
"Well, I was thinking now. As in, right now" she said. The sooner she got this over and done with, the better.  
"Sounds like a plan. How does the pier sound?" Snow suggested.  
"Yeah, sounds good. Twenty minutes?" she asked.  
"Looking forward to it. Love you" Snow said.  
"See you then" Serah said before hanging up. She couldn't repeat the words back to him, not now. It would have been a hollow lie. And besides, those words were reserved for Lightning now. Lightning, and nobody else.

"I guess I'd better get going then" Serah said with a sigh as she lethargically raised herself up from the sofa. Lightning joined her and wrapped her arms around her.  
"You'll be fine. I promise. You can do this" Lightning said as she offered her sister her support. "Call me if you need anything, ok?"  
Serah nodded her head before giving Lightning a quick kiss. Then she turned around and walked out the door.

Normally whenever she went to meet Snow, the time seemed to pass so slowly to the point where she sometimes found herself instinctively breaking into a jog so she could get there sooner to be with him. Now she found that it was passing too quickly. There was a knot in her stomach as she imagined everything that was going to happen. The great unknown was exactly how Snow would take it. Probably stubbornly, knowing him.

Her mind started to replay all the time that they had spent together. She remembered how they'd first met at the Nora Café and how excited he'd been when she agreed to go out with him. She remembered their first date together and how they'd gone walking along the beach, the sand beneath their feet. She remembered the first time they made love and how gentle and considerate he'd been with her. She remembered how he always brought her little gifts for no reason other than the fact that he wanted to. She also remembered how he swore that he's stand by her no matter what.  
That was the worst of it. He was a good man and she was going to have to hurt him through no fault of his own.

The pier soon started to appear in her field of vision and sure enough, there he was. He was standing there in his usual trench-coat and beanie hat, wearing that smile he always did when he got to see her again. This was probably the last time she'd see him like this.

"Hey" Snow greeted warmly as he went to engulf her in one of his great big hugs. Serah didn't return it. "What's wrong Serah?" he asked before pulling back to look at her with a quizzical expression.  
"Snow, I…we need to talk" she said solemnly.  
"Whoa, that's never a good sign" he said with a grin.  
"No Snow, I'm being serious" Serah emphasized as she pulled away from him and took a step back.  
"Alright then" he said, his demeanour becoming more reflective of the situation.  
"Snow, there's…..what I want to say is….look, I mean….." she said, starting over and over again as she tried to find the right words. Everything sounded too cliché. She started to pace from side to side, scratching her head as she wracked her brain for where to even begin with this.  
""Serah, you know you can tell me anything" he offered when he saw how much difficulty she was having.  
"No! That's just it Snow!" she burst out as she became infuriated with how compassionate and understanding he was being. Why did his best quality have to be his worst right now?  
"What are you-"  
"It's over, Snow."

Silence. Unending, deathly silence. If tension was tangible, it could have been cut into pieces at that moment. Serah turned to look at Snow, who just had a blank expression on his face.  
"What do you mean?"  
"I mean it's over Snow! You, me, this, us, it's over!" she almost yelled.  
"I don't understand…" he said softly, his brow furrowed in confusion.  
"Don't you get it!? I'm breaking up with you!" Serah shouted.  
"Serah…." he said as he went to approach you.  
"No! Don't you 'Serah' me!" she said heatedly as she back away from him.  
"I don't understand why you're acting like this" Snow said as he stretched his arms out to the side.  
"Because I have to! Because it's what I want!"  
Snow shook his head emphatically when he heard those words.  
"Oh no, I'm not buying that for a second. If this was what you wanted, what you really wanted then you would have done this a long time ago. Something's wrong, something's happened and I want to know what!" Snow demanded.  
"Nothing happened!" she insisted fervently.  
"Bullshit! The last time I saw you, we were fine. Now you want to break up with me. If you don't tell me what it is, I can't help you!" Snow pleaded.  
"I don't need your help Snow, I don't want your help! I just want this to be over, once and for all" Serah said as she stepped back again.  
Snow clenched his fists. This just didn't make any sense and it was infuriating. Why would she want to just dump him and move on unless….

He gritted his teeth. So that was it. It had to be.  
"What's his name?" he growled.  
A look of quick surprise flashed across Serah's face. She hadn't expected him to put it together like that so quickly. He was sharper than she gave him credit for. Her reaction, momentary as it had been, was enough for him to immediately know that he'd hit the nail right on the head. Serah shook her head before she spoke.  
"Snow, there isn't-"  
"Don't insult my intelligence Serah" he said in a throaty voice. The leather in his gloves was squeaking from how hard he was clenching his fists. She didn't say anything. She couldn't.  
"How long has it been going on?" Snow asked. His voice had lost all of its warmth and compassion. He was furious.  
Serah still didn't answer. That was proof enough in his eyes.  
"So that's it huh? You've been cheating on me and now you've decided you want to be with him so you're throwing me away, is that it!?" he asked angrily.  
"No!" Serah shouted. "No, I….I didn't plan this. I never meant for it to happen like this!"  
"You never meant for it to happen!? What, did he just accidentally fall into bed with you? Were you drunk? Was it a one night stand!? Answer me!"  
Serah rubbed the bridge of her nose. This wasn't going the way she wanted, not at all. She decided to try a different approach. Maybe a diplomatic tone would help to smooth things out.

"Snow" she started softly. "Every time I said that I loved you, I never lied. Not even once. I meant it. There was never anybody else. But now…" Serah wrung her hands together in front of her as she contemplated her next move. As she looked into his eyes, she decided to be honest with him. It was the least she owed him after all this time together. "…now I've met someone."  
"When?" he asked simply.  
"It was only a few days ago and…..and I just knew. I knew it in my heart and I knew it in my soul and I knew that I couldn't do this to you. Not after you've been so amazing to me all this time. I knew I had to do the right thing and break it off cleanly with you because it wouldn't be fair to you after everything you've done for me" she said earnestly.

Snow collapsed onto the ground in a pile. He was completely overwhelmed by this. Up until today he'd been on top of the world and had thought himself the luckiest person alive. Now it was all crumbling down around him. Then he looked up at Serah who came next to him and crouched down before tenderly placing a hand on his shoulder. As he looked into her eyes, he could see that they were the earnest. She was been telling the truth. That was the thing about Serah – she was a poor liar when it came to the important stuff. Snow sighed deeply before he spoke again. He had to know.  
"Does he make you happy?" he asked.  
Serah nodded.  
"More than I ever thought possible" she answered with the same honesty.  
Snow chuckled cynically.  
"I always said I didn't deserve you."  
"Snow….." Serah whispered as she felt tears beginning to form in her eyes. He held up his hand to silence her.  
"Serah, your smile made me smile. It was what made me get out of bed in the morning. When I think about losing you….it hurts but at the same time, I know that….that if I forced you to stay, that if I kept you with me and refused to let you go, it'd be selfish because it wouldn't make you happy. It'd just be a lie."  
Serah nodded her head. Everything he was saying was completely true, painful as it was.  
"I know I don't feel it right now but I'm grateful, really. I…..I'm glad you had the decency to tell me outright once you knew."  
"Snow….." Serah began again. "How could I not? You've been so amazing to me and I felt so guilty. I know I couldn't keep hurting you. After everything that happened between us, the last thing I wanted was to keep dangling false hope in front of you. That'd just be cruel."  
"More than cruel" Snow said cynically. It took some effort on his part but he was eventually able to bring himself back up to his feet. "Serah, I hope you understand when I tell you that….that I need some space."  
Serah nodded her head quickly.  
"No, I get it. I mean, we're probably still going to see each other around. It's hard to stay away from Lebreau's cooking y'know" Serah said with a humourless chuckle.  
"Alright. I guess I'll see you around at some point then" Snow said glumly.

As Snow turned to walk away, Serah felt bad for him. She'd just destroyed his world but it was the lesser of two evils. At least this way there was a chance that he might find someone who'd love him the way that he deserved.  
"Snow!" she called out. He turned around with a forlorn look on his face.  
"For what it's worth, I'm sorry" she offered. She knew it would probably be little consolation but she still felt like she needed to say it.  
"Do me a favour Serah" he called back.  
"Sure."  
"Tell him that if he ever makes you cry, I'll make him regret it."  
What else could Serah do but nod?

She started to make her way back home. Serah didn't enjoy feeling guilty like this but she knew it'd pass. He'd be alright in the end. They all would be. It was just a matter of time. On the bright side, at least now Serah could be with Lightning completely, without any baggage or emotional hang-ups.  
Serah made it back home and closed the door behind her. "Claire, I'm home!" she called out. She came inside to find Lightning getting up from the sofa to walk over to her.  
"How did it go?" she asked, her voice laced with concern.  
"About as well as could be expected" she answered plainly.  
"Did he give you any trouble?" Lightning queried.  
"Well, he did figure out that there was somebody" Serah explained.  
"How did he take that?" Lightning asked.  
"Well, the good news is that he had no idea it was you. He thought it was another guy. The bad news is that it's going to take him a while to come to terms with it" Serah said.  
"I can't say I blame him" Lightning admitted. "You two were together for a long time."  
"True but at least now….." Serah said as she wrapped her arms around Lightning's waist. "….we can be together."  
Lightning returned the hug as she held her younger sister close to her.  
"That's all I want Serah. It's all I'll ever want" Lightning said.  
"Well, it's what you're gonna get from now on, I promise" Serah said sweetly.


End file.
